The Ancient Grudge
by lovecamedown
Summary: Maddy and Rhydian are reunited in Canada; only to be faced with tough decisions they never wanted to have to make and a situation they could have never imagined. - A continuation of Season 3/my take on a Season 4. - Themes: Romance, Adventure, Family, Friendship, Angst.
1. Reunion

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own anything to do with Wolfblood._

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_**A/N: **So, the way this is going to work is this: _

_Each chapter will stand as an episode or a part of an episode. For example, "Episode One" has two parts split in to two chapters; but another episode may just take up one chapter. At the start of each chapter I will state whether there's a 'part two' to the episode or whether the chapter stands as the whole episode. Hope that makes sense!? _

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**Episode One, Part 1 – "Reunion" **

* * *

Rhydian was almost at his last straw.

He'd been climbing the mountains around here for almost ten days now; he was cold, tired, weak, and pretty lonely. Sleeping rough and having to hunt for all his food was most definitely _not _his idea of a good time away in Canada, but the whole time it had been worth it to find Maddy.

He promised her he'd find her. And he was not going to let her down.

On his tenth day of climbing and hiking, he found his way up another mountain that looked just the same as all the others he'd been working his way through – for all he knew, he could be just going in circles – and he stopped in front of a pile of rocks.

He decided to just go for it and let out a howl—partly out of frustration and desperation, but mostly just hoping that someone would hear him. Preferably Maddy.

Rhydian was just about to turn around and give up when he heard it.

He heard _her_.

"Maddy," he breathed, his smile bigger than he ever thought possible.  
He _found _her.

After all those months of missing her; just wanting to see her face and hear her voice again. After this horrible journey he'd been on to get to her…he _found _her. He was going to get to see her again.

_Maddy_.

* * *

Maddy didn't really remember what she was thinking or feeling before she smelled it.

It was a scent she hadn't smelled in far too long; a scent that belonged to someone she had been longing for for over six months now.

She'd been up on the mountain, running around and letting off some steam with her parents in the bright mountain sunshine and crisp white snow; grinning and laughing, feeling her clothes whip around her in the wind.

Things had been going just fine, if not a little lacking of a bigger pack.

But then she smelled it. It was so familiar, so comforting, and for a moment she was scared that it might be too good to be true. Maybe her imagination was playing tricks on her.

In the past few months, it had been doing that a lot. She kept thinking she smelled him or saw him when using Eolas, but usually it was when she was half asleep and her mind was running wild on her. The images or scents would wash away almost immediately which is what told her that it was all fake; just a product of her tired imagination.

She missed him so much.

But this time, the scent lasted, and her eyes were searching the area carefully from under her dark eyelashes. She froze in her spot and inhaled a deep breath.

"Maddy? What is it?" Emma asked curiously, stopping what she was doing. She could sense that something was going on, but somehow she knew it was nothing bad. It was the opposite…she knew it was something good.

"Can you smell that?" Maddy wasn't looking at either one of her parents.

"Um…no, I…I don't think so…"

But her mum's sentence was cut short when Maddy heard it. She heard _him_; heard his howl coming from the distance.  
And this time, she knew it wasn't fake, or in her imagination, or just any other wolf or Wolfblood out having a good time.

It was Rhydian.

_Rhydian_.

Instinctively, Maddy howled back, and soon she spotted him. Right in the distance, barely even a dot to the human eye, but she was sure it was him. She _knew _it was him. It was his undeniable scent and his striking blonde hair that caught her eyes.

"Rhydian," she breathed before feeling the wolf take over. Straight away she transformed in to her canine self and she could vaguely hear her mum saying something to her in the background, but it was all a blur as she ran towards him.

He began bounding towards her and before they knew it their paws were skidding along the snow as they nearly crashed in to each other.

Rhydian was panting heavily and so was Maddy, but none of that mattered because they were together again. _Finally_.

The wolf's natural instinct was to sniff and nuzzle each other's fur as much as they could, spreading their scent on to each other after far too long of being apart. They looked at each other longingly, their faces softening at the sight of each other.

After a while, when they were satisfied with spreading scents back on to each other, Maddy decided she wanted to be in her human form again; she wanted to hug him, touch him, _talk _to him.

So she crouched to the ground, and when she rose again, she was human.

Watching as he transformed back too, she grinned. And then she leapt on to him, the grin on her face bigger than she ever thought possible, her legs wrapped around his waist.

She buried her head in to his neck and he held her up, his arms around her body tightly.

"Rhydian!" She giggled to herself, not quite believing that he was here with her; that she was touching him right now.

"Maddy," he laughed softly in to her ear.

Maddy pulled her face away from his shoulder and started kissing all over his face: his eyelids, his cheeks, his chin, his forehead. She just wanted to remember what it felt like to touch him.

"You found me," she breathed when she finally let her lips come away from his skin.

Rhydian put her down gently but didn't realise the grip of his arms around her, and he rested his forehead on hers.

"Did you ever doubt I would?"

Grinning, Maddy shook her head and felt the tears begin to sting at the back of her eyes. She couldn't believe this was happening. She couldn't believe that she'd _found_ him – how long must it have taken him to find her, all the way out here in the middle of nowhere? – In _Canada_!?

Neither of them was at all able to hide their glee of seeing each other again.

"I sort of left my parents back there with no idea what's going on," Maddy said after a few minutes of silence. She pulled her head away from his and looked in to his eyes.

"We should maybe go tell them that I'm here."

Instead of nodding and walking back up the hill like Rhydian had expected, she just grinned even wider and said, "you're _here_." And then she leaned in and kissed him, so gently, so softly.  
It took Rhydian by surprise at first but he soon kissed back and felt her smile as he did so.

"I've missed you." Maddy whispered.

"I've missed you too. So…so much."

* * *

Turns out Maddy's parents had gone back to their place. Segolia had provided them with a small cabin on the edges of the mountains and the wilderness – much smaller than their house back in Stoneybridge – nearly in the middle of no where. It was on the very outskirts of the small Canadian town, a few miles away from anywhere else; barely even a part of civilisation.

"So you've been trekking through the mountains for 10 days?" Maddy asked as they walked in the direction of the house, down a steep slope consisting of snow and rocks that stuck out at all angles. There were trees surrounding them and as they descended the hill the temperature got higher and the snow began to fade slightly.

"Yeah," Rhydian shrugged nonchalantly, holding Maddy's hand to help as she jumped from a small rock and down in to the dirt.

"Wow."

"It's no big deal. You guys are the ones who live practically in the mountains now."

"We wouldn't if we had the choice," Maddy mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing. So, tell me news. What's been going on back home?"

"So much stuff, you wouldn't believe. Jana came back a few months after you guys left; she'd been shot…"

Rhydian explained the whole Jana story before they finally reached what was, apparently, the Smith's new home.

It was almost completely invisible if you had no idea it was there. It was a small, brick house that resembled their home back in Stoneybridge. The roof was thick with snow and so were the window ledges.

Maddy opened the wooden front door and walked in before Rhydian, lending him a hand as he followed.

Inside, it was slightly bigger than the outside would have you believe. Maddy showed him around the place.

The door went straight in to the cosy-looking living room where there were low ceilings and two small sofas around a log burner that was obviously rarely used; probably only when absolutely necessary. To the left of the living room, just past a small section of wall was a kitchen with a small dining table in it. The living room and kitchen were pretty much attached, similar to the way their home back in Stoneybridge had had a collection of sofas next to the kitchen.

Upstairs, there was one bathroom between the three of them straight ahead of the staircase and two bedrooms on the right hand side of the corridor. Maddy's room had a small double bed in – surprisingly more than what she had back home – and a wooden wardrobe.

Mr and Mrs Smith were in their room reading when Maddy and Rhydian knocked on the door and walked in. Her parents' bedroom was pretty much the same as hers, if not a little bigger.

"Rhydian?" Emma questioned incredulously. And then she stood up, a smile spreading across her face. "Rhydian!" She looked almost like she couldn't believe he was actually here as she hugged him.

"Hi, Mrs Smith."

"Rhydian, it's so great to see you," Dan smiled, standing up to hug him too. "How on earth did you find us?"

* * *

"I can't believe you came all the way out here to find us," Maddy whispered, moving closer to Rhydian on the sofa they were sitting on. The couch was right up against the window and covered in blankets strewn all over the fabric. The light in the room was dim but ample.

They were sitting in the living room on their own, Emma and Dan having retired to bed for the night.

"I told you I'd find you." Rhydian answered softly, looking down at her. She was looking up at him, her arm wrapped around his, and her face was glowing in the small light of the lamp sitting on the coffee table in front of them. He took the opportunity to look at her face properly for the first time in months; her hair was a lot longer and messier now – down to just above her waist – and her face was almost the same, if not a little more matured.

"You're amazing, you know that?"

Rhydian's response was a grin. He leaned forward to kiss her forehead and then looked up and out of the window at the small section of sky they could see from here. Because they were right on the edge of any civilisation whatsoever, there was no city glow at all out here – they were practically in the mountains – and the stars looked amazing. Rhydian thought stars only looked like this in pictures.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" She looked out too.

"I didn't even know there were that many stars visible to the naked eye."

"It helps that we have wolf sight." Maddy smiled.

Rhydian smiled too. "Full moons must be incredible out here."

"It's a far cry from that dingy old den back home, that's for sure," Maddy agreed. They were still looking up at the sky. "Out here it's…free. Although we're sort of part of the town, we never go there, so we're practically on our own land out here. We're fully a part of nature. It's…amazing."

The couple fell in to a comfortable silence for a while. Rhydian was just appreciating hearing her breathe and feeling her next to him; he couldn't stop touching her in some way. All day he'd just felt an absolute, desperate need to hold her hand, touch her face, stand or sit right next to her. He thought that maybe it was just to remind him that she was actually real.

Maddy felt the same. She couldn't seem to let him move just few feet away from her. He was here with her, and she wanted to make the most of it after spending so long away from him.

"I miss it though," Maddy suddenly said, her voice quiet and slightly tentative.

"Miss what?" Rhydian had almost forgotten what they were talking about five minutes ago. His brain was fried.

For a moment, Maddy remained silent. But then she drew a deep breath in and, when she spoke again, her voice was very slightly shaky. "Home. I miss home."

"It's safe to come home now," he reminded her. "Whitewood's on our side. So…you can if you want."

"I'm scared," she whispered, tightening her grip on his arm. "All three of us are scared."

"What are you scared of?"

"What if it all happens again? What if…what if someone finds out; someone that shouldn't find out – like Liam, or something, I don't know – and threatens to expose us again? We can't just leave every time someone gets suspicious…"

Rhydian bit his lip nervously, deciding that now probably wasn't the best time to tell her about the fact that Mr. Jeffries _and _Liam now knew their secret. "I wish I knew the answers to all these 'what if's.… You're right, it is risky, and it is scary. But it's still home, you know? It's still where we belong…"

"I know. But it's just simpler out here, away from humans. I'm starting to think your mum might be right about humans…maybe,"

"She's not. Humans can be great."

"But also dangerous."

"We are part human, remember. And humans did invent flushing toilets, mind you. That's something we can thank them for."

Maddy laughed – a real, genuine laugh – and leaned her head on his shoulder. "True. That's true."

And then the conversation ended somehow. It seemed to come to a natural end.

Maddy had had some good points about going home. And to be honest, if push came to shove, Rhydian would be willing to do whatever Maddy and her family wanted. The plan had been to stay out here for a while anyway. As much as he missed Stoneybridge, his friends, his family, his _pack_; he could do without them. But what he couldn't do without anymore was Maddy.

So, yeah, he'd be willing to stay with them here if that's what they had their hearts set on doing. If that's what would keep them safer, like Maddy said.

But he had a feeling that this conversation wasn't quite finished yet.

* * *

**A/N: **_So...here's the official first chapter of my S3 Continuation/my take on Season 4! __If you read my Maddian one-shot you may well have been expecting this continuation soon! __I really hope you guys got my little explanation of how this is going to work. If not, PM me and I will try to explain more :)  
_

_I realise that the title of this story is the same as a title of an episode in S2, but it has nothing to do with that:') _

_Soooo...what did you think!? Do let me know if you liked it, what you hope will happen and if you'd like to read more; I'll only continue this if people are interested:')_

_Hope you enjoyed this first chapter. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts! :) _

_Love :* xxx_

**_**_[Just a note that this story will be centric around Maddian, but it will also have a running plot line not all about them eventually!]_**_**


	2. Final Decisions

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Wolfblood.

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**Episode One, Part 2 - "Final Decisions"**

* * *

Rhydian had been with Maddy and her family for a couple of weeks now.

It hadn't taken him long to settle in to this different routine in a different climate and an unfamiliar space.

He liked the change of scene, actually. It had been suffocating, staying in Stoneybridge all that time with all of the drama and chaos happening. Out here, everything was simple and stripped back. He was faced with the challenge of getting used to the way the Smiths had started living their life; things were totally different here. They had invented new rules about living as a Wolfblood out here, and Rhydian had to get used to that, but he liked the challenge. He liked the change of scene.

But Maddy? – Maddy wasn't so sure.

She'd been out here for months now, nearly eight, and she'd never been particularly keen on it from the very beginning. At first she'd managed to take it in her stride and get used to it, but now it had been far too long since she'd had the comfort of her own bed, back home. The bed here was fine – she was grateful for it – but it wasn't where she felt at home. One thing she also really missed was the laughter and fun with her best friends that she so badly craved.

It was great to have Rhydian back – she didn't want to live without him ever again – but having him here with her and her parents just reminded her of the things she was missing at home. For months she had been able to shut out that pain and homesickness; pretend it wasn't there and like none of it hurt.  
But now that a _part _of her home had come to her in Canada and in their totally new life, she was beginning to miss her old life a heck of a lot more.

So much so that it made her feel really homesick; it was keeping her up at night.

"Rhydian," Maddy whispered quietly, "Rhydian, are you awake?" The two were sharing the bed in Maddy's room, curled up together under an old duvet and a couple of blankets. The house didn't have any central heating.  
On the walls of the room, they had stuck up a couple of photos that Rhydian had brought with him: one of Shannon, Tom and Jana all together, one of Maddy and Shannon and one of Maddy and himself. Maddy already had a few photos out here but Rhydian's ones were her favourite; he'd kept them all that time, which meant a lot to her.

Rhydian groaned and rolled over to face her, frowning. "I am now."

"Sorry," she bit her lip.

"You OK?" He managed to open one sleepy eye and looked her over carefully, looking for any signs of distress on her face. Luckily, there were none.

"I can't sleep," she admitted sheepishly.

"Why not? Are you warm enough?" Rhydian had thought it was quite warm considering they were dangerously close to the Canadian mountains – so warm that he was sleeping shirtless – but maybe Maddy was cold. He reached up to feel the temperature of the tips of her ears. She was sitting up on her elbow.

"Yeah, I'm warm enough. Speaking of, are you not freezing? Why don't you have a top on?"

Rhydian shrugged, closing his eyes again. "I'm fine. Now why can't you sleep?"

Maddy sighed through her nose. "I just…I can't stop thinking of Stoneybridge. Our friends, our home, our school…"

"Maybe you should talk to your parents about going back." His eyes were closed and he still felt sleepy, but he was talking as if he were fully alert and awake. He wanted to be there for Maddy, even if that meant not falling back asleep.

"They'll say no,"

"How do you know? And anyway, don't you think they might be missing home too?"

Maddy thought about this for a moment and then shrugged slowly. "I don't know. Probably. But you know mum and dad; they…they don't always act on what they want to do. They're all about being responsible."

"You never know until you ask, Mads. Maybe they're thinking that _you_ won't want to go back."

"Of course I want to go back," Maddy argued. "Why would they even think I don't?"

Rhydian opened his eyes and held his hands up in surrender, his eyebrows raised. "Hey, don't ask me. They're your parents."

Sighing, she chewed her bottom lip and put her head back down to her pillow. She really did miss the comforts of home; she wasn't built for this makeshift life of sleeping on a lumpy old bed in a cold house that smelled strongly of dust and dampness. As much as it was safer out here for both their secret and the secrets of the other Wolfbloods of the world, it wasn't where Maddy belonged. She didn't want to pretend like she belonged half in the wild anymore; they lived more as wolves than humans, and she wasn't sure she liked it.

Maddy's eyes settled somewhere on Rhydian's chest and she reached out to touch him. Surprisingly, his skin was actually very warm considering he had no shirt on and they were near the snowy mountains. It was weird.

"How are you not freezing?" She asked incredulously.

"You must be warming me up."

Maddy looked up at him for a moment and smirked, watching him fall in to quiet snickers.

And when she looked back down again, she started tracing circles on his skin with her finger whilst she thought about going back home. She was imagining a hot bath, a warm, comfortable bed, processed food, central heating…  
It all sounded pretty perfect. And then there was the added bonus of the rest of her _pack_; how could her parents ever stay away from their own pack forever? It wasn't right that they were apart.

"I can stay here as long as you need or want me to," Rhydian said in to the silence. "I'm a free man now," Maddy chuckled at his use of the phrase 'free man' before letting him continue, "The Vaughans think I'm staying with my long lost uncle for a while. But on the other hand, I can go home whenever I want. I'm flexible."

"Thanks, Rhydian."

"Unless of course you _want_ me to go home…"

Maddy snorted. "As if. You're not going anywhere without me."

And then Rhydian smiled, leaning forward to kiss her cheek before settling his head back on to the pillow.

"You can go back to sleep now. Sorry I woke ya."

"S'okay," Rhydian shrugged, closing his eyes. "I want to be here for you. And listen, Mads, it'll all work out. We'll find where we're meant to be."

She nodded and closed her eyes, shuffling closer towards him. She rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead.

And before she fell asleep, she kissed his chest and told him she loved him, and he said it back.

* * *

When Rhydian awoke the next morning, he found that the space next to him where Maddy should be was empty. Frowning, he turned around to find what time it was but then realised there was no clock there. Of course.

Instead he pushed the fur and the blanket back and stood up, throwing his shirt and jacket on before making his way downstairs. He hadn't brought any pyjamas; Maddy said she'd ask her dad for some spares at some point.

When he got downstairs, Maddy was in the kitchen wearing her pyjamas and a thick hoody, leaning against the counter with a mug of hot water in her hands. They had no tea or coffee.

She looked thoughtful. There was a frown etched on to her forehead, but it wasn't a bad kind of frown; it just looked like she was deep in thought. And for a moment Rhydian could have sworn it looked like she'd been crying. She didn't even notice him there until he was right in front of her.

"Hey," Rhydian said, standing next to her and leaning against the counter too.

"Morning," Maddy responded.

"Did you manage to get to sleep last night eventually?"

"Yeah. Did you get back to sleep after I woke you?"

"Yeah," he smiled and reached down to take her hand. His thumb smoothed over her skin gently. "Where are your parents?"

"Getting breakfast."

"Great. What are we having?"

"Fish, I think. We didn't have chance to go to the shop safely this week, so it's catching our food or no food. We'll cook it for you, seeing as you're not as used to raw meat as us."

"Appreciate it," He grinned, guiding her over to one of the dining table to sit down. "Are you okay?"

Maddy sat down next to him, looked at him and smiled gently. "Yeah. Fine. Why?"

"No reason." Rhydian lied, choosing to ignore the slight bloodshot look in her eyes and the salty tear stain on her left cheek. Maybe it was just the cold weather.

* * *

A while later, Emma and Dan came back with yellow eyes and a few different fresh fish. They grinned at Maddy and Rhydian when they walked inside and started preparing the fish right away.

Mrs. Smith wiped her knife clean on the worktop she was chopping the fish on and looked up at Rhydian and Maddy from under her eyelashes.

"So, Rhydian, we have something we wanted to speak to you about." She started. Rhydian and Maddy were sitting next to each other at the dining table, facing Maddy's parents who were still preparing breakfast. Maddy and Rhydian were holding hands, of course, and Maddy was leaning her head on Rhydian's arm. He had grown taller over the past few months, meaning that she had to look up at him to see his face from her current position.

Rhydian smiled politely. "Shoot." He said. And for some reason, Maddy tightened her grip on him for a passing moment before Emma continued.

"Maddy spoke to us about returning home this morning, before you woke up," she started. Rhydian's heart beat increased slightly in anticipation. "She told us how much she's been missing it, especially since you arrived."

Dan continued for Emma. "We had a long discussion about it…and we decided that, as much as we love our home back in Stoneybridge, we can't go back again. Well, we _can_, but we've decided not to. It's easier this way; safer. There's no risk of people finding out what we are; no risk of anything going wrong. It's just better for us out here, Rhydian…"

Rhydian looked down at Maddy. She wasn't making eye contact with him at all but he could still see tears rising in her eyes. So _that's _why it looked like she'd been crying earlier on.

Emma smiled sadly. "We're sorry, Rhydian. And we're sorry to all your friends back home. We do want to go back, but…"

"It's okay," Rhydian said softly and genuinely. "I understand, Mrs. Smith. It's what's best for you guys, and I get that."

"We talked about the options of you staying or going, too; and we're totally happy for you to stay out here with us, but if you want to go home, we'll understand that too."

Looking back down at Maddy, he saw that she was looking up at him now, and when their eyes met he realised that there were tears falling out one by one. The look she gave him was heartbreaking. Her forehead was wrinkled, her eyes scared and her lip quivering very slightly. Without having to say anything, Rhydian knew what she was trying to say to him.

She wanted him to stay.

So he would.

"I'm not gonna leave you, Maddy," he said to her, and watched as she broke out in to a tear-filled smile. "I'm staying."

In his peripheral vision he saw Maddy's parents smile and get back to their various jobs, but he kept his eyes on Maddy who was frowning at him again now.

"Are you sure?" She asked quietly.

Rhydian nodded. "Positive."

* * *

Five more days went by.

Maddy and Rhydian had been out hunting for their dinner together one night, and Rhydian was beginning to enjoy being self-sufficient and working as a team with the Smiths. He wasn't used to this lifestyle, but it was almost as if this lifestyle was used to him; it seemed to work with them and he liked that. He liked feeling like he was a part of the family.

However, he had begun to notice that Maddy wasn't quite acting herself. She was being very quiet and not laughing as much as usual; even when Rhydian had suggested a run to let off some steam (usually her favourite thing), she just shrugged and went to her room, not saying another word.

He considered talking to her parents about it, but he didn't want to appear stupid. Maybe this was just how Maddy was now; maybe she'd changed.

It was an evening, just after he had eaten dinner with Emma and Dan, when Rhydian started wondering where Maddy was. She had been in her room for quite some time now – she hadn't even come out to eat the meal – and Rhydian was worried.

"Emma," Rhydian said in to the silence, looking over to where Emma was sitting on the sofa opposite him. "Do you know if Maddy's okay?"

She shrugged. "I think she's just tired. It's late."

Rhydian nodded, but he wasn't convinced.

Wordlessly, he stood up and went up the stairs towards Maddy's room. When he pushed the door open slowly and stepped in, he saw Maddy lying on the bed, her back facing the door, and she had something in her hands. Once he was closer he realised it was a picture of Tom, Shannon and Jana; one of the pictures off the wall.

"Maddy," he said softly, trying to get her attention.

"I knew you were there," she said quietly. Her voice sounded different.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine,"  
But her voice was croaky, and soon after her weak attempt to convince Rhydian she was okay, she sniffed and went to wipe her eye.  
She wasn't fine.

Sighing through his nose, Rhydian stepped over silently and crawled on to the bed behind her. He didn't touch her just yet.

"Maddy," he said again, his voice still just as soft as he watched her from behind. She was playing with the corners of the photo that were now slightly dog-eared, and she sniffed again. "What's wrong, Mads?"

She took in a deep breath before finally speaking, her voice scratchy and quiet. "I miss it."

"Miss what?" Rhydian scooted closer to her and put his arm around her waist from behind before kissing her shoulder lightly.

"Home. I don't want to stay here, Rhydian. I know that was the plan all along and I know mum and dad finalised it a few days ago, but I just…I miss it so much. I miss our friends. Our _pack_. I never thought this was going to be forever."

Sighing, Rhydian reached up to brush some hair from her face gently. She turned around to face him.

Photo still in hand, she wiped a stray tear off her face and sniffed.

"It doesn't have to be forever," Rhydian said gently. "Maybe we can go back someday."

"'Someday' isn't soon enough. I want our pack to be together. I want our town back."

"I know."

"Don't you miss it too?" Maddy looked up at him.

He shrugged. "Yeah…but I haven't been away for as long as you. Do you think your parents will ever change their minds?"

Maddy shook her head sadly and looked back down at the photo that was sitting between her fingers.

It was a picture of Jana, Shannon and Tom, standing together with their arms around each other and pulling funny faces at the camera. Behind the goofy poses their faces spoke joy and laughter, and it made Maddy smile nostalgically.

Jana's hair wasn't as red in this photo as Maddy had remembered it; it was clearly taken when she'd returned after Maddy and her parents had left. Shannon's hair was down and straight – Maddy rarely saw that – and she looked happy. And Tom just looked like his usual self; maybe a bit taller and more mature. She missed them a lot.

Rhydian watched Maddy as she scanned over each of their friends' faces. She looked so sad and frustrated at the fact that her parents had decided not to return home; Rhydian could tell that it wasn't the result she had been hoping for.  
Thinking about it now, Maddy had been up and unable to sleep every night since they'd made the decision. Rhydian should have guessed that this was the reason.

And then an idea popped in to his head (an idea that was really quite a stupid and ambitious one) and for a moment he nearly didn't suggest it to her.  
But then he saw the sad look in her eyes – the look of desperation as if she'd never get her true life back again – and he couldn't resist.

"What if…" he started, his voice failing him halfway.

Maddy looked up at him from under her dark eyelashes. "What if what?"

Rhydian hesitated for a moment, looking right in to her beautiful brown eyes, before spitting out his crazy idea. "What if…what if _we _go back, but…but your parents stay here? I mean, your parents don't _need _us here and we can fend for ourselves back in Stoneybridge…I guess? Maybe?" And when Maddy just blinked at him and didn't say anything, Rhydian faltered. It was never going to happen. "Sorry, stupid plan, I know…it's never gonna work like that. I shouldn't have—"

"No," Maddy cut him off, her voice suddenly louder. "No, it's not a stupid plan. Maybe it could work…" She bit her lip for a moment and looked away, clearly thinking this plan through over and over in her head. Rhydian's heart was pounding nervously in his chest. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea he'd had and he honestly wasn't expecting her to consider it.

She looked up at him and for a moment she looked excited, but then the reality sunk in and her face fell again.

Her head fell back down to the pillow.

"My parents will never go for it." She mumbled, closing her eyes again and wiping away a leftover tear.

Rhydian was silent for a moment as he considered his idea. And then he shrugged lightly and said, "Does that matter though?"

"What do you mean?"

"They can't exactly make you stay, right? I mean…you're your own person."

"I guess so."

"Do you want to go home?" Rhydian asked, just trying to get her to admit it again, hoping it would help her make a decision.

Maddy paused and then she started nodding, slowly, feeling tears rise again. "Of course."

"Then…let's go tell them that we're going home."

Finally, she looked up at him again and her eyes were wide, but not sad anymore. Behind those dark brown orbs there was now a tiny glint of hope.

"Rhydian," she started warily. "Are we really going to do this?"

Rhydian held back a grin. "Why not?"

And then Maddy grinned – a small grin, but still a grin – and leaned up to kiss him, her hand coming up behind his head and pulling him closer to deepen the kiss. Man, she loved him. She loved him and his crazy ideas that were actually quite amazing. She loved him and his hair and his eyes; but mostly his ability to make her feel better about anything.

"I love you." She said.

He grinned too and wiped away the tears on her cheeks that had finally stopped falling from her eyes, leaning in to kiss her just once more. "I love you too. Now let's go prepare for war."

Maddy laughed, following him as he walked out of the room, their hands entwined together.

It was going to be an interesting evening.

* * *

**A/N: **_So, this chapter got a bit repetitive by the end, I know, but the next chapter will be a lot better. This chapter was essential, I guess, but maybe not the most fun to read?! _

_Okay, so I just need to thank you guys __**so **__much for the reviews I got on the first installment of this story. I can't believe the response I got—I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to read it! Thank you all so, SO much, I love you, and I hope you love reading this story as much as I love writing it. :')  
_

_Please do let me know what you thought of this chapter, too! :) _

_Love :* xxx_

_PS. What do you guys think of the cover for this story? I'm 50/50 on whether I like it or not! _

**_Next Episode of 'The Ancient Grudge': '_**_Maddy's head snapped up and she stared at him with wild eyes, her breathing heavy. "We've made a huge mistake."'_


	3. Home Comforts

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

**Episode Two - "Home Comforts"**

_This chapter is a whole episode. _

* * *

"Mam? Dad?" Maddy said tentatively, walking down the stairs and in to the kitchen. Her parents were sitting on the sofa reading together.

"Yeah?" Emma replied, not looking up from her book.

Maddy and Rhydian walked in front of them. Maddy perched herself on the edge of the sofa opposite her parents and Rhydian tentatively sat on the arm of the couch, not wanting to get too comfortable in case all hell broke loose when they suggested their idea of going home by themselves.

"So…we wanted to talk to you about going home," Maddy started, her voice quite hesitant. Emma looked up at her from above her reading glasses without moving her head and raised her eyebrows.

"We already made up our minds, Maddy. You know that." She said gently.

"I know, but…"  
Emma nudged Dan to get his attention and he took the hint, removing his glasses and putting his book to the side. Emma did the same, and then Maddy continued. "I'm really missing home more than I ever thought I would, and I know you guys think it's safer for us out here but it's just…it's not home, you know? It's not where we belong…"

"We belong where it's safe, Madeline," Emma said, looking at her daughter pointedly.

"We belong in Stoneybridge."

"What exactly are you implying, Maddy?" Dan questioned.

Maddy took a deep breath, biting her bottom lip for a moment before letting the breath out. "If you want to stay out here, then we want to go back to Stoneybridge.… On our own. Just us."

An ominous silence came upon the room as Maddy's parents stared at her, glancing between her and Rhydian, their eyebrows raised incredulously.

From where Rhydian was sitting, his arms resting on his legs and his head hanging low, he sensed Emma's eyes settling on him for good. Tentatively, he looked up, barely moving his head.

"Was this your idea, Rhydian? Are you putting these ridiculous ideas in my daughter's head?" Emma asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Rhydian took a breath to speak but Maddy spoke before he had the chance, putting her hand on his leg as a defence.

"Oh no you don't, don't turn this around on Rhydian," Maddy exclaimed. "This was not Rhydian's decision—and even if it was him, what does that matter!? It's what I want to do too, so you should accept that. I knew you'd have this reaction! Why do you always blame it on Rhydian!?"

Rhydian suddenly felt ten times more awkward.

Dan tried to calm the situation down. "Maddy, it's not that we don't accept it, it's just that we don't think you guys are ready to live on your own…"

"You guys have paid the mortgage off, so all we'd have to worry about is bills. Rhydian can sell his drawings, I can get a job…we'll be fine!"

"No you won't, Maddy," Emma insisted. "You're still just a cub; you can't live on your own!"

"I'm not a cub!" Maddy exploded. "How many times do I have to tell you that!? And did you ever stop to think that Rhydian trekked all through the mountains _by himself _for weeks before he found us? And Jana practically babysat Ceri at our house whilst we were away. We can do this!"

"Mrs. Smith, if you'll just let us try this…" Rhydian tried to be the calm one, but Emma wasn't having any of it.

"Rhydian, this doesn't concern you."

"Well actually, _mam_, it kind of does," Maddy defended her boyfriend, her hand still on his leg. Rhydian's hand came down and put it on top of hers. "We're our own people now; we can do what we want."

"No, you can't. You will never make it work."

"Well, thanks so much for that faith."

"Stop being so snarky!" Emma exclaimed. "We are not letting you go back there on your own!"

For a moment, Maddy stared at her parents, her breathing slightly increased. Rhydian's grip on her hand tightened and she looked up at him for a moment. He nodded once, and that's when she knew what to do.

Follow her heart.

"Well, even if you don't want us to go, we're going. This is what we have to do; it's where we belong. I'm thinking about Rhydian here, too; we can't keep him away from his home like this either!"

"We gave Rhydian the offer of going back home and he didn't take it. That's not our responsibility!"

"Oh, would you stop going on about responsibility!" Maddy almost yelled. "Rhydian is my boyfriend; my best friend, my _Alpha_ and I have to consider him too. Isn't that the _mature _thing to do?"

Emma took a deep breath, watching her now worked up daughter. Maddy's eyes were on the verge of turning yellow; clearly she felt really strongly about this.

"So? Are you going to let us go?" Maddy questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Well, it seems you're going to go anyway, whether we let you or not." Dan said.

"We are."

Maddy's parents both took deep breaths and looked at each other warily, Emma chewing her lip and Dan's eyebrows furrowed slightly. And then they turned back to their daughter and Emma shrugged lightly.

"I guess we can't stop you, can we?" She said. A tiny smile tugged on Maddy's lips. "Just make sure you say hi to your friends for us, won't you?"

Maddy grinned and so did Rhydian, and Maddy shot up from the sofa to bring her parents in to a large group hug.

"We'll come visit," she said over their shoulders. "And you can visit us."

Rhydian smiled nostalgically at the last words he had said to the pack back in Stoneybridge and watched as Maddy let her parents go, all of them smiling bittersweetly.

Maddy turned to Rhydian and broke out in to a grin. Rhydian laughed, accepting her hug when she came over.

* * *

Rhydian and Maddy took the first flight out of Canada and to London the next day. Her parents had supplied them with a bit of extra money and permission to use their savings bank account from back home if it was absolutely needed. Turns out the mortgage had been paid off for years and over that time they'd been saving the money they would have spent on it and put it in the bank, meaning there was quite a lot in there in case Maddy and Rhydian should need it.

Rhydian didn't know where Jana was now – whether she was still in Stoneybridge, where she was living, things like that – but he hoped that Ceri and his dad might be willing to stay with them for a while. It would look weird, Maddy coming back to live on her own without her parents, but if Rhydian stayed with her and Ceri or Gerwin was their legal guardian, it might just work out. He knew he was old enough to make his own decisions now, but he just wanted to be sure that social services wouldn't be tempted to intervene.

Rhydian hoped that things would work in their favour.

Maddy seemed quite nervous about returning. Rhydian noticed her palms getting a little sweaty as the aeroplane's engines started up on the runway, and her breathing increased a bit. At first he thought it was just nerves of being back in civilisation and heading back to old ways, but once the plane was in the sky, Maddy seemed to worsen.

It was like she was about to faint, but she never did, and Rhydian was only able to let this happen for a short while before finally saying something.

"Maddy, are you alright?" Rhydian asked quietly, hoping people couldn't hear him over the loud breaths she was taking.

Maddy's head snapped up and she stared at him with wild eyes, her breathing heavy. "We've made a huge mistake," she breathed.

"What? Why?"

"I can't do this, Rhydian; we have to go back,"

"We can't go back; the plane is in the sky, like, right now."

"We have to!"

"Why!?"

Maddy hesitated before exploding quietly. "Because I've never done anything or gone anywhere without my parents, okay!?" She admitted, clearly a bit embarrassed by how anxious this was making her. And then she exhaled loudly, letting her head fall back on to the seat.  
Rhydian watched as her chest rose and fell quickly, her eyes open and staring up at the roof of the aeroplane. His forehead was wrinkled, his whole face intense as he sat up and away from the seat.

"I've never done anything like this before," she said, breaking the tense silence between the two. "What if something goes wrong? We can't call them because they have no phones, and even if they did, it would be no good anyway! We can't do this, Rhydian, we have to go back."

Rhydian watched her for another few moments. He sighed through his nose, leaning back against the seat and reaching over to take her hand in his. Her palms were still sweating.

"We've worked a million things out on our own before," he reminded her softly, smoothing his thumb over the top of her hand.

Maddy sighed. "I know, but I'm just scared that something really bad will happen and I won't be able to save the situation. This is such a huge step in to something so unknown…"

"It'll be alright, Maddy," Rhydian smiled very softly, giving her hand a squeeze. "I'll look after you."

Maddy turned her head to look at her boyfriend. He was looking at her so sincerely, so supportively, and it made her feel at peace for a moment.

"I know you will." She breathed, squeezing his hand back before leaning over and giving him a tight one-armed hug.

Rhydian buried his head in to her shoulder and kissed her neck lightly.

"We can do this, okay?" He said. Maddy felt his voice against her skin. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."

* * *

Ten hours later, the aeroplane finally touched down in London Heathrow. Maddy's grip on Rhydian's hand was extremely tight for the rest of the day as they called for a taxi to take them to the train station, got a train to Newcastle and then another to Stoneybridge. She didn't let his hand go the whole time; luckily they didn't have much luggage to carry at all.

When they finally arrived in to the familiar town and made their way through the woods towards Maddy's house, it was 10pm. Rhydian's phone was on and working for the first time in weeks; he had a few texts from his friends but not many because they all knew he didn't have signal in Canada.

Maddy unlocked the front door to her old house. When she stepped inside, she took a huge breath in and finally let go of Rhydian's hand. She was _home_ again. Finally.

It still smelled the same (if not scented slightly from Ceri and Jana) and it was surprisingly warm inside considering no one had been in the house for a good few weeks.

"Home," Maddy whispered, inhaling the familiar scents and grinning at all of the home comforts sitting right in front of her. "_Home_."

"It was never the same without you here." Rhydian commented, smiling and watching as she frantically walked around the room, a huge grin on her face. She seemed to be exploring every single part of the downstairs of the house, inhaling every scent and touching every surface. She'd missed it so much.

The next place Maddy visited was upstairs; she practically charged up the stairs and burst in to the bathroom.

"We have a _bath _again," she said happily. "A _bath_!"

Rhydian chuckled, leaning against the door frame. "You can bath to your hearts content."

"I will."

Maddy pushed past Rhydian and ran to her bedroom door, the excitement overtaking her as she stood there for a moment before pushing it open. Her room looked just the same as it always had; her pictures were still just as she had left them and the duvet cover was the same as it was the last time she'd slept in it.

The first light she turned on was the lamp by her bed, leaving the room in a dim light but light enough to see everything she needed to.

She turned to Rhydian, who was biting his lip.

"You know what we need to do, right?" Rhydian asked.

Maddy grinned, stepping towards him and snaking her arms around his neck. "Kiss for a while to celebrate coming home?"

Rhydian chuckled and pressed a quick kiss to her lips before pulling away again. "Yes, but not yet. We need to tell Shan and Tom that we're here."

"Oh my gosh," her smile widened. "I can't wait to see them. This is so exciting."

"Shall I text them?"

Maddy nodded quickly and watched as Rhydian pulled his phone out from his pocket.

* * *

Shannon and Tom were sitting in Shannon's living room watching a movie when Shannon's phone went off. Lazily she pulled it out from her pocket and was just about to put it back again uninterestedly before she realised who the text was from.

"Tom," Shannon said quietly, nudging him slightly. He must have drifted off during the movie. "_Tom_."

Tom awoke with a jolt and looked irritated that she had woken him up, but when he saw the strange and wary look in her eye, he frowned and leaned forward.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's a text…from Rhydian," her eyes were slightly wide behind her glasses.

Tom was instantly confused. "But Rhydian doesn't have phone signal in Canada…"

Shannon nodded once. "Exactly."

And then she turned back to her phone and opened the text, anticipation rising in her stomach. Neither her nor Tom wanted to get their hopes up about this; for all they knew, Rhydian could still be in Canada after just finding some random phone signal. But still, both of them had the tiniest glint of hope in their eyes, wishing for all the world that this text would say what they wanted it to say.

It did.

_We're home. _

Shannon nearly dropped the phone as she gasped and stood up excitedly.

"What did it say!?" Tom exclaimed, even more confused now. He stood up and tried to look over his girlfriend's shoulder, but she was jumping up and down slightly. "You didn't let me read it!"

Handing him the phone forcefully, she watched as his face straightened out as he read the text. And then he grinned widely, dropping the phone on the sofa behind him.

He stared at Shannon excitedly. "Did he say…'_we're_ home'? Who's _we_?"

"Maddy! He must be home with Maddy!" Shannon laughed, ecstatic, and threw herself at Tom, wrapping her arms around him in an excited hug. "I can't believe it! Tom, they're _home_!"

And straight away after pulling out of her boyfriend's arms, she lunged for her phone and pressed the 'call' button on her screen next to Rhydian's name.

* * *

Rhydian finished the text and threw his phone down on Maddy's bed.

"Where were we?" He smirked before leaning in and kissing Maddy softly. Maddy brought her hands down to sit on his chest and his found their way around her waist. Their lips were moving together slowly, softly; the kind of kiss that made both of them want to melt in to this moment forever and never leave.

Rhydian brought Maddy as close as he could to him and she sighed happily, a grin working its way on to her lips. Finally she was home; back where she belonged. And the best part of it all was that she was here with her Alpha.

Just as Rhydian's hands were finding their way to her lower back, his phone rung suddenly on the bed beside them, making Maddy jump. She pulled away from Rhydian a little, slightly out of breath as she stared at the phone.

"It's Shannon," she said. Her lips were slightly swollen. "She'll want to talk to me."

Just as Maddy was about to reach for the phone, Rhydian put his arms around her waist again and pulled her back in, arms and all.

"She can wait," he whispered. "For now, I just want to do this…"

Maddy only had a second to smile before he kissed her again.

His lips came away from hers and he kissed along her jaw line, up her neck and just under her earlobe.

"I'm glad we came back," he murmured, his nose nuzzling her warm skin.

Maddy's hands came up to the back of his neck. Her hands tangled in his hair tightly and her eyes were closed as he kissed her neck again.

"Me too." She whispered just before his lips connected with hers once more.

And soon, the ringing phone on the bed beside them was long forgotten.

* * *

Maddy awoke in the middle of the night. Looking at the clock, she realised it was 4am; she'd been in bed for three hours now.

Initially the plan had been to come home and go to bed straight away, but she and Rhydian were just so happy to be back here together that they couldn't leave each others sides. They would have slept in the same bed if they could but Maddy's bed was far too narrow.

So instead they'd kissed for a while and then stayed up talking, holding each other as close as possible on top of Maddy's bed. In Canada they hadn't had as much time to talk as they would have liked; things were weirdly busy out there, what with finding food and preparing it and trying to keep the house in a remotely good state. Not to mention having Maddy's parents around all the time; never giving them a chance for a private conversation.

Rhydian had gone in to the spare room at about 1am, leaving Maddy to head to sleep. She was exhausted.

And the minute her head hit the pillow, she had fallen asleep right away.

Being awake at 4am was definitely not a part of the plan, though. She hoped she'd be able to get back to sleep, but a lot of things were going through her head, so it didn't seem very likely.

But oh boy was she glad to be back home again.

* * *

**A/N: **_Hi hi :) _

_You guys are amazing, thank you so, **so **much for reading and for all your wonderful reviews. Just...thank you. I can't tell you how happy it makes me! _

_I hope you liked this chapter. As always, thoughts are appreciated! _

**_Oh, and to answer one of the guests' questions from last week (I would reply privately but can't reply to guest reviewers:():_**_  
__How often do you think you'll update? Once a week?_ _\- Probably once a week, yes. I try not to go over a week between chapters! Hopefully I'll come up with some kind of routine eventually :)  
How old are Rhydian and Maddy now? \- Rhydian would have been 16 when he left for Canada in the show. But Idk, I feel like he should be 17 now at least :/ So for this story let's just say he's 16/17 and Maddy, being a few months younger in my head, will still be 16. They would be older if it weren't for the actual ages on the show; I want it to be as accurate as possible. :) _

_Love :* xxx_


	4. The Pack

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

**Episode Three, Part 1 - "The Pack"**

* * *

When Rhydian woke up the next morning, the light was streaming in through the spare bedroom's blue curtains, giving the room a slight turquoise tint.

He lay sleepily on his back for a few minutes, trying to adjust to the light and the different surroundings. He had slept well, but it was weird not having Maddy in the bed next to him; for the past few weeks in Canada she had been there by his side as he slept, because there _was _no other place for him to sleep, and it had become something he was used to.

Eventually he dragged himself out of his new bed, knowing he would have to sort a few things out today. The summer holiday had passed quickly and less than a week remained before school started again. Rhydian was planning on going back to Bradlington High to take his A-Levels alongside Shannon (Tom was going to a nearby college) and he had to find out what Maddy wanted to do, as well as look for a way to make money.

And the final – and possibly trickiest – things he needed to do…were to find Jana, _and_ find his parents.

Rhydian went to the bathroom first, only to discover that the door was locked.

"Maddy?" He questioned.

"You're awake," he heard a familiar voice from behind the door. "Finally!"

"What are you doing?"

"Having a bath, what are you doing?"

Chuckling, Rhydian leaned against the door frame with his hand. "Having a nice bath?"

"It's _amazing_," Maddy grinned, although Rhydian couldn't see it, and tipped her head back on to the wall behind her. "Do you know if there's any food in the house?"

Rhydian thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know. I'll go check."

When he got downstairs in to the empty and slightly cold kitchen, he found an old box of cereal in the cupboard, a bag of self raising flour and some mouldy bread in the bread bin. Great.

He wasn't really sure what he'd been expecting; after all, this house had been empty for a while now (he wasn't really sure how long for).

A few minutes later, Maddy came down the stairs. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she was just wearing her fluffy dressing gown and some socks.

"Sleep well?" He asked.

She yawned and scratched her head. "Sort of. You?"

"Same."

"Find any food?"

Rhydian shook his head. "Not really. There's some stale cereal…but no milk. That's about it."

"Oh, great," Maddy wrinkled her nose. "Sounds wonderful," sarcasm was dripping from her words. "We can't afford a shop at the moment. We might have to go hunting."

After hunting for the majority of their meals during all those months in Canada, Maddy had been looking forward to some proper food. But they couldn't afford to do a shop until they sorted out their finances. They had her parent's savings, sure, but there wasn't much of it and they needed to save it for real emergencies.

Rhydian nodded. "We might have to," he shrugged. "So…fancy some dry, stale cereal for breakfast?"

She was about to decline, but then her stomach growled loudly and she looked down at it incredulously. She hadn't eaten since last night at 8pm on their train journey home. It was 10am now.

"Sounds like your stomach's saying yes to that, Mads." Rhydian smirked and headed over to the cabinet to get a bowl for her.

"Don't we have any meat? Like, proper meat?"

"Nope. Mum and Jana must have eaten it all before they left."

"Where are they, anyway?" Maddy asked as she sat down at the table.

Rhydian handed her the bowl of cereal along with a spoon, put the kettle on and then sat down opposite her. He shrugged. "I don't know. I'm planning on asking Shannon and Tom."

"Oh, they're coming over in a bit. I called 'em this morning."

"Awesome," Rhydian grinned. "Did they sound excited?"

"I only spoke to Shan, but she was more excited than I've ever heard her, so…"

Laughing, he stood up and grabbed some mugs. "Tea?"

Maddy sighed happily. It'd been far too long since she'd had a good cup of tea. "Please."

* * *

An hour later, Maddy had gotten dressed in to a fresh pair of clothes. In Canada she'd only had a couple outfits to wear, but now that she was back at home she had her whole wardrobe to choose from.

Rhydian got dressed too, but he didn't have any clothes apart from the ones he'd worn to Canada. So instead he had found one of Dan's old T-shirts and worn that; it didn't fit him perfectly, but it would have to do.

The doorbell rang just as Maddy jumped down the last step in to the kitchen. She stopped in her tracks and looked at Rhydian, a slightly nervous but excited look on her face. Her stomach did a little flip and she smiled at her boyfriend, giving him a quick kiss before running to the front door.

When she opened it, the sight of her two best friends had her frozen in her tracks again. For a moment, Maddy looked them all over, taking in everything; their familiar faces, excited smiles, bright eyes and matured features.

The three of them stared at each other for a while.

Maddy had been expecting herself to start squealing excitedly as she opened the door.  
She had been expecting masses of hugs and jumping up and down and grinning and more squealing.

But everything remained silent for a good minute or so as they just stared at each other. Maddy felt tears stinging in the backs of her eyes and her lip began to quiver slightly.

It had been far, far too long since she had seen these two. Her two best friends who had been there for her for as long as she could remember.

How had she managed this long without them?

Their faces were so painfully familiar; it was almost like a dream, the fact that they were right in front of her right now, so close she could literally reach out and touch them.

The first tear fell on to Maddy's cheek, and Shannon smiled sadly.

And then, before saying anything at all, they threw themselves at each other and hugged tightly in a big group hug.

Tears were pricking at all of their eyes; a few had escaped from Shannon's as well as Maddy's and Tom was having to swallow his.  
Rhydian watched fondly from behind them, a bittersweet smile tugging on his lips.

"We've missed you so much," Shannon whispered, burying her head further in to Maddy's shoulder.

Maddy inhaled her best friends' familiar scents and felt more tears escape her eyes. She had wanted to see them for so long – pining for them, wanting to remember what it felt like to be together – and now that they were here, it was all pretty unbelievable.

"Rhydian, get over here, man," Tom said, his voice thick with threatening tears as he opened his arms for Rhydian.

Grinning, Rhydian walked forward and put his arm around Tom's shoulder and his other around Maddy's waist. He leaned in and kissed the side of Maddy's face before grinning and hugging his friends tighter.

The four of them hugged for a while longer. And when they finally came apart, both of the girls had tears on their faces and they could tell that the boys were trying to keep their tears in.

They stepped in to the kitchen.

"I can't believe you're here!" Shannon said happily, her familiar grin more prominent on her face now.

"I can't believe we are either," Maddy smiled fondly up at her best friend and took a hold of her hand.

"Are you staying? For good?"

Maddy nodded and looked up at Rhydian, squeezing his hand affectionately. "We are."

Squealing excitedly, Shannon leaned forward and hugged Maddy again, meaning that Rhydian and Maddy's hands were no longer together.

Maddy hugged back and grinned over Shannon's shoulder. She was bouncing up and down excitedly, and this was when the excited squeals and happy laughs began; they were overjoyed beyond belief.

Tom and Rhydian watched them, grins on their faces.

"When did you get back?" Tom asked Rhydian as the girls hugged each other more.

"Late last night. About 10pm, I think."

Tom nodded. "How was Canada?"

"Weird…but good. They had this house right next to the mountains which meant that every night we could just run free if we wanted to. That was cool."

He nodded again and then grinned at Rhydian, patting him on the back. "We missed you. Didn't think we were going to see you so soon."

"I didn't either," he looked over to his girlfriend and Shannon who were now making tea together in the kitchen. Tom and Rhydian were standing by the sofas next to the kitchen. "…But Maddy was really missing home a lot, so we decided it would be best for her to come home."

"Without her parents though?" Tom leaned in closer to Rhydian and lowered his voice, obviously so that Maddy couldn't hear. Rhydian had given them the heads up that Maddy was anxious about being here without her parents.

Rhydian shrugged. "It's what's best for her. It's weird and unconventional, being here without her parents, and it's going to be tough, but…we're gonna make it work. It was what she needed, you know?"

Tom nodded, leaning away from Rhydian again. "I get it. Well, for the record, _we _are glad you came back."

Tom and Shannon stayed for most of the day. They left at about 3pm, after having spent the day catching Maddy up with every single thing that Rhydian hadn't already told her. (Rhydian had made a point to tell them of the fact that Mr. Jeffries and Liam being in on the secret was something he still hadn't told Maddy). The four friends were picking up right where they left off, as if no time had been spent apart.

The hugs they gave each other before the two left were quite long, as if none of them were quite ready to leave yet.

They had spent the day sitting around the table, Shannon and Maddy on one side and Tom and Rhydian on the other. The talking never stopped and the time went so fast.

* * *

About an hour after Shannon and Tom left, Maddy and Rhydian decided to go for a run in the woods to let of some steam in the warm summer evening air.

The whole time, Rhydian was grinning and laughing because it had been far too long since he'd run through these woods with Maddy. Her scent was filling his nose, her hair was whipping around as she ran slightly ahead of him, and he just couldn't stop laughing as she laughed too. Everything about her was intoxicating. It felt so good to be with her again; so good to be with someone who not only understood being a Wolfblood, but someone who understood _him _on a different level.  
Maddy had always just _got _everything Rhydian was, is and ever will be. She'd never judged him for his past, or the way he lashed out sometimes, or the way he did things before thinking. She had always just taken things the way they were with him and loved every part of him; even the parts that weren't that easy to deal with.

She wasn't just someone.

She was his Alpha, and he was never letting her go again.

After an hour of running at top speed, twirling through and climbing up the trees together, the couple finally stopped by a tree, totally out of breath. Their faces were indescribably joyful.

"Let's stop for a minute," Maddy said, almost panting for air as she settled on the floor against the tree.

Rhydian nodded and sat next to her, his shoulder brushing hers as his head rested on the bark of the tree behind him.

"Maddy, you're a little genius, you know that?" He tilted his head to look at her and she frowned in confusion.

"…What prompted that?" She drawled.

He reached down and linked his fingers in between hers. "I was thinking…we should go on a date. Somewhere nice…"

Maddy smirked and looked up at him. "Oh, _I _see what you're doing here…," and then she grinned playfully before continuing in a slightly mimicking tone, "are you asking me on a date?"

Rhydian grinned too. "So what d'you say? Finally have that first date that got very rudely cancelled?"

Maddy's playful grin faded in to a soft smile. They were looking each other in the eyes.

She nodded slowly. "I'd love to."

"I would say we won't go to Bernie's, but it's not even there anymore…"

"What? Why?"

Rhydian grinned. "You've missed a lot, Miss Smith."

Maddy grinned too and leaned in to kiss him softly.

A first date. _Finally_.

* * *

"Jana and Ceri?" Shannon questioned on the night before Maddy and Rhydian's date.

Shannon, Tom, Maddy and Rhydian were all sitting around the dining table in Maddy's house, a couple of empty takeaway pizza boxes strewn over one side of the table.

"Yeah," Rhydian said, sitting back lazily in his chair. He was so full; he was beginning to feel a food coma coming on. "Do you know what happened to them?"

"Yeah," Shannon replied lightly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Of course we do. Jana took a job at Segolia on a trial basis."

"Wow, really?" Maddy asked. She was leaning back in her seat too as she sat next to Rhydian.

Shannon nodded. "Yep. Victoria was so impressed with her talents that she decided to let Jana come to Segolia on her own terms. At first she was uncomfortable with the job offer, but when Victoria said it was no strings attached, she couldn't turn it down."

Tom nodded too and continued for her, "And they provided a house for her, Ceri, and your dad to live in. Just by the woods, about a mile from here."

"Your dad?" Maddy questioned incredulously.

Rhydian turned to Maddy, a sheepish smile on his face. "Oh, yeah…kinda forgot to tell you about that one."

"How did you forget that!? You have to tell me everything!"

"I will, later," he chuckled fondly and turned his attention forward again.

"How have we not smelled them here before now, though?" Maddy asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I guess you just haven't passed near enough to her house," Tom shrugged.

Rhydian slowly sat up again and leaned his elbows on the table, his hands coming up to just in front of his lips. His brow was furrowed thoughtfully and he wasn't looking directly at anyone.

"I'm just worried about social services," he finally said. "What are they going to do when they find out Maddy and I are living here on our own?"

"You're seventeen now, Rhydian; technically you can live independently." Shannon pointed out.

"I guess. But I'm just worried. Authorities are weird like that."

Maddy sat up too then and put her hand on Rhydian's thigh. "We'll be OK," she said softly, a gentle smile forming on her lips. "We just need to find jobs. Pay for the bills, you know. And food."

Rhydian nodded, turning his head to face her. "Yeah. We do."

"How about the Kafe?" Shannon suggested.

"The what?" Maddy asked.

Shannon, Tom and Rhydian all smirked in unison before Shannon explained. "The Kafe. It's where Bernie's used to be."

"What kind of a name is 'The Kafe'?"

"The kind Katrina would make up,"

"Katrina!?"

"Yeah, she owns the Kafe now. Her, Kara and Kay all work there."

Maddy let out a low whistle in surprise and stared at her best friend incredulously. "I won't believe it until I see it."

"Well, you will see it," Rhydian cut in. "That's where we're going tomorrow for our date."

Maddy couldn't help but let out a smile. "Really?"

Rhydian nodded, and Shannon grinned at the two of them. "Awe, you guys are _so _cute. We've missed you being all romantic."

Maddy rolled her eyes and grinned at her best friend. "Shut up."

* * *

"Night, Mads," Rhydian said softly, pushing the door to Maddy's room open. It was 10.30pm; Shannon and Tom had gone home about an hour ago, leaving Maddy to have a bath before bed. He had told her all about his dad and what had happened with Segolia a while back; Maddy was shocked to hear that he'd met his dad but she was also incredibly happy for him. As she'd watched him explain what Gerwyn was like, she could see a glint of happiness in his eyes that hadn't been there before.

He stepped in to her room, wearing just grey sweatpants, his hair tousled slightly.

Maddy was standing in the dim light of her room in front of the full length mirror, wearing her PJs—loose shorts and a vest top. She was brushing her hair.

Maddy turned to look at him when he took a few steps in. And then she smiled, walking over to him after putting the hairbrush down.

"Night, Rhydian." She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in to kiss him softly.

It was just one kiss and when Rhydian pulled away, he rested his forehead on hers, both of their eyes still closed. His arms came around her waist and he rested his hands on her lower back.

Maddy could feel each of his fingers on her back through the thin fabric of her top, and it made her shiver slightly under his touch. He really could drive her crazy.

"We're going to see your mum tomorrow, right?" Maddy asked.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

There was a beat of silence as they stood together, just breathing.

"Love you." Rhydian said quietly.

"Love you too." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, bringing him in to a hug.

Rhydian was making the most of having her close like this. Every second they spent together was another second that increased his desire for her. He needed her; he needed her more than he'd ever known.

He gently pulled her body closer to his, as close as he could manage. He just needed her closer. Always closer.

A few minutes later, Maddy pulled away, kissing him quickly before resting her forehead on his again.

"Kissing before the first date, huh?" Rhydian quipped.

Maddy let out a breathy chuckle. She kept her eyes closed. "What kind of people are we?"

Rhydian grinned too and brought his lips down to kiss her cheek softly. "See you in the morning."

She nodded. "Night."

* * *

**A/N: **_Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter! _

_I just want to clear a few things up from some reviews I received. _

_This story **will** have a running plotline eventually; in fact it starts next episode, I believe. Although the story is set out in "episodes", there won't be a plot line every "episode" like on the show because the chapters would end up being too long and far too tedious to read/write. So just bear with me whilst I set the groundwork; I figured you guys would like to read some happy stuff and reunions and Maddian moments before the real plot line begins. That's the way this story is going to work._

_Hope you liked this chapter. Please let me know what you think! Constructive criticism only please :) _

_Love :* xxx_

**_Next episode of The Ancient Grudge:_** _"Frowning curiously, Jana set her cup of water down on the coffee table and went to the door. When she pulled it open, her facial expression changed from a frown to a look of complete and utter surprise."_


	5. Stay

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

**Episode Three, Part 2 - "Stay"**

* * *

_The next day. _

Jana was in the kitchen of her house, looking through the window that looked out in to the forest behind the house. She filled her glass with water and headed in to the living room where Ceri was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine, Gerwyn having gone out for a run in the woods.

Ceri sighed slightly before she spoke. "I have lived in the human world for quite some time now…" She started.

Jana laughed. "Never thought I'd hear you say that, Ceri."

Ceri smiled, her eyes still down on the magazine as she flipped through it, a look of disgust on her face. "…And I still do not understand why humans find this stuff interesting. Who are these people in the magazine, and why should I care how much weight they have lost?"

Giggling, Jana leaned over Ceri's shoulder to take a look at the magazine article. "I don't know, Ceri. Maybe we should ask Shannon and Tom."

"Surely they are not as shallow as other humans?"

"They're definitely not."

Jana was just about to sit down on the sofa when there was a weirdly patterned knocking at the door, almost as if the person behind the door had never knocked before.

Frowning curiously, Jana set her cup of water down on the coffee table and went to the door.

When she pulled it open, her facial expression changed from a frown to a look of complete and utter surprise. Her eyebrows raised and her eyes widened, mouth falling slightly open.

"Aran?" Jana said lightly; it was more of a statement than a question.

Aran was standing outside her door, his head hanging slightly low but his eyes on her. His hair was messed up and his clothes the same as always, but he looked tired with dark circles under his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" She asked incredulously. "You know what, I don't even care. Just…come here." Jana stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. Aran reciprocated and hugged her back, his head burying in to her neck slightly as he inhaled her familiar scent.

"I missed you." He said, his voice rough and low.

Jana pulled away but stayed close, his hands on the tops of her arms as she looked in to his eyes. "I missed you too." They both smiled at each other tenderly and were just about to hug again when Ceri walked up behind them.

She frowned in confusion. "Aran? What are you doing here?"

Jana stepped back inside, taking Aran's hand and leading him in behind her. He looked around the apartment cautiously; even after living in Maddy's house for weeks with Jana, he still wasn't used to the human way of living.

"I…I had to see you again, Jana," Aran finally explained as Jana carefully sat him down on the sofa. "It is not right without my Alpha."

Jana sat down next to him, her hand still in his, and she looked at him sadly. He wasn't quite meeting her eyes. "Aran, you know I belong here now."

Aran nodded. "I know, Jana," he didn't sound so sure. "But I…I cannot live without you in the wild anymore."

"I can't come back to the wild, Aran. You know that. This is my life now."

Looking around the room he was sitting in, his brow furrowed. Ceri was sitting in the armchair across from him and for a moment he met her eye before looking away again. "Don't you miss the wild?"

Jana thought for a moment before shrugging her shoulders lightly, still trying to meet Aran's eyes. "I do not belong in the wild, Aran. I belong here."

"No you don't!" Aran suddenly exploded, standing up and letting go of her hand. "I can't live without you in the wild, Jana! You cannot stay here forever!"

Jana stood up too, clenching her fists by her side, her face stern. "_Yes_, I can, Aran. You cannot tell me what to do. If this is where I want to stay, this is where I will stay."

Aran finally turned to her, his eyes glowing yellow. "I do not know what to do!"

"What do you mean!?"

"I love you, Jana! And I do not want to be in the wild without you!" Jana stared at him in slight shock. And then Aran's voice quietened as Ceri subtly got up and left the room. "I don't want to _be _without you, Jana. You are my Alpha."

"I know," she said, her voice nearly a whisper. Aran's eyes were back to their normal colour now and she stepped closer, taking a hold of his hand again. He finally held her eye contact, both of their breathing now increased. "I love you too, Aran."

"Then why can't you come back to the wild and be with me? – Be my Alpha?"

"I am still your Alpha even when I am not in the wild," Jana said decisively. "I can still be your Alpha here. Why do I have to come back to the wild, Aran? Why can't _you _stay _here_?"

"You mean…stay in the…_human _world?"

Jana shrugged. "You've done it before. You can do it again."

Aran stared at her, his brow furrowed even further now and a look on his face as if he were in a total conflict with himself. Jana could tell he wanted to stay because he wanted to be with her. But she could also tell that he really didn't want to stay in the human world; it was against everything he'd ever believed in and everything he'd been taught.

"I want you to be happy, Aran," Jana whispered when he didn't respond. She stepped closer again. "I really do."

"I cannot be happy without you."

She felt tears rising in her eyes. A frown found its way on to her face and she reached up with her free hand to put it on his face, gently smoothing his cheekbone with her thumb.

"Then stay with me for a while. Just try it, Aran. You might not hate it as much as you think you will."

He stared at her again. He looked more conflicted than ever.

For a moment he looked as though he was about to say something, but then he shook his head rapidly and headed towards the backdoor, opening it quickly and running off in to the woods behind the house.

Jana watched in shock, her eyes now totally glassy. She was tired of Aran running off when he got scared. She just wanted some stability; she just wanted him to _be _with her.  
In all honesty, Jana had never known missing anyone like how she missed Aran whenever he was away. They had grown up together and nothing felt right without him with her.

Ceri came back in to the living room, a cautious look on her face.

"Jana? What was that all about?" She asked quietly, stepping towards Jana tentatively.

Jana was still staring out of the now-open back door, gazing at the path Aran had just taken. "Aran ran away again." She answered, her voice distant.

"Why?"

"I asked him to stay in the human world."

"Why would he want to stay in the human world?"

Jana took a deep breath in. And when she blinked, a fat, salty tear spilled over the edge of her eye and fell on to her cheek. "For me. I asked him to stay for me."

"So why did he run—"

Ceri didn't have time to finish her sentence before Jana charged off and out the back door.

"—away." Ceri finished to herself, no one actually hearing her. She smiled in the direction of Jana's scent.

Jana followed Aran's scent for about a mile, running as fast as she could before he could get out of reach. Eventually she found him sitting on a fallen log, looking out over the river and kicking his foot in to the dirt repeatedly. His elbows were resting on his knees and even from where Jana was standing, she could tell his forehead was wrinkled.

"Aran," she called out. His head snapped around to face her for a brief moment before he looked away again. "I don't appreciate being run away from." Jana approached the log and tentatively sat next to him on his left hand side. He still wasn't looking at her.

A few moments of silence went by before he finally spoke.

"I am sorry, Jana," he said, his voice quiet and timid. "I should not have run off. I am a coward."

"Yeah, you are." Jana agreed, a slight hint of teasing in her voice.

Aran turned his head to see if she was being serious, and when he saw her smiling slightly, he smiled too. He nudged her shoulder playfully with his.

"I was serious about you staying, you know," Jana said, breaking the silence. "I want you to stay."

"...I think I want to stay too."

"Then why don't you?"

Aran shook his head, the look on his face showing that he felt at war with himself. "It goes against everything I have ever been taught."

"But that doesn't mean you can't try it. It's good to try new things."

"You sound like a human."

"We _are_ part human, Aran. It is not a crime to sound like one; or live like one, for that matter," she stated. "Listen, Aran, I want you to stay. I really, really do. Please, at least try it.… For me."

Jana reached out and took his hands in hers. He didn't look at her for a moment, but when he did, his face looked less in pain now and more at peace.

And then he took a deep breath, letting it out before squeezing her hand. "Then I will stay with you, Jana. Just for a little while."

"You'll stay?"

He bowed his head once to her as a form of confirmation. "I'll stay."

Jana grinned, leaning forward to kiss his cheek before hugging him, her arms wrapped tightly around him.

* * *

"Why do I feel so nervous to meet your dad?" Maddy asked, her hand linked with Rhydian's as they walked through the woods towards Jana's new place.

"Don't be," Rhydian said, a smile working its way on to his face. "He'll love you."

"It just feels weird. Your _dad_."

"Tell me about it. And it's even weirder that he's back with my mum."

"It's a good weird though, right?" Maddy clarified, looking up to check his face for any signs of distress or worry.

Rhydian's smile grew a little at the corners of his lips and he nodded, staring down at the ground. "Definitely a good weird."

"And I'm excited to see Jana, too."

"I think she missed you."

"Really? _Me_?"

"Yeah."

"She probably missed you more. You guys were close."

Rhydian nodded. "Yeah, we were. She looked after me whilst you guys were away."

Maddy smiled softly and squeezed Rhydian's hand just a little tighter. She was still looking at him, but he wasn't looking back. "Remind me to thank her for that."

Briefly, Rhydian turned his head to face her. "I will." He smiled before his attention turned back to the path ahead of them.

Jana's house was small. It was a bungalow, right at the end of a small street of similar looking houses, all of them backed up against the forest. Maddy and Rhydian could smell all of the residents of the street from where they were standing; some were Wolfbloods and some weren't.

Smiling, Rhydian led Maddy up the front garden path and to the door.

He knocked three times.

A few seconds later, the door opened, and there stood Ceri.

Her face was a picture.  
Her eyes widened, a grin spreading across her face and her eyebrows rising in shock.

"Rhydian!" Ceri exclaimed in shock, all of her features happy. "My beautiful boy, you're back!"

Rhydian grinned, but before he could say anything, word must have spread through the house because a flurry of footsteps rushed towards the door.

And before their eyes, there stood Jana, followed by two men; one of which Maddy vaguely recognised from when Alric had tried to kill Rhydian all those months ago, and another he didn't recognise at all.

"Rhydian? Maddy?" Jana questioned. "What are you doing here!?"

"Well…we're back." Rhydian grinned, giving Maddy's hand a squeeze before letting it go and stepping forward to hug his mum.

Jana pushed past the group of Wolfbloods as Rhydian hugged his parents and rushed out to Maddy.

"Maddy! You're back!" She exclaimed, smiling, wrapping her in a hug.

At first Maddy was slightly surprised by this outburst – Jana had only ever properly hugged her once – but soon she reciprocated the gesture.

"And you're living in a house!" Maddy joked, earning a genuine laugh from Jana.

"Who'd have thought it, huh?" Rhydian said now from behind Jana. She turned to him and hugged him as well before all of them started inside.

Rhydian put his hand in Maddy's again as they walked in to the living room.

"Maddy, this…is my dad." Rhydian introduced, a slight feeling of nervousness now present behind his voice.

Gerwyn stood a few feet in front of Rhydian and Maddy, a smile etched on to his face.

"Well, it's great to meet you, Maddy. I'm Gerwyn." Reaching forward, he shook Maddy's hand and she smiled back.

"You too, Gerwyn. Rhydian's told me so much about yous."

"All bad, I hope."

Maddy giggled. "Of course."

Gerwyn grinned in return before the Wolfblood Maddy vaguely recognised stepped in to the light.

Maddy eyed him warily, stepping behind Rhydian slightly. The last time she'd seen this Wolfblood, the boy she loved had nearly been captured by him and Alric.  
However, this time he seemed to have a different look in his eyes. One of innocence and sincerity; nothing like the way he had looked before. His eyes were his natural colour, which made a change, too; and there were no angry veins crawling up his neck.

"Maddy, this is Aran. Do you remember him?" Jana asked gently, taking a hold of Aran's hand.

Maddy eyed their joined hands suspiciously before looking back to Jana. "Yes, I remember him."

Aran bowed his head in gratitude, not raising it as he spoke. "The last time we met, we got off on the wrong foot, as the humans say. I am truly sorry for this... I hope you can forgive me."

Frowning, Maddy looked to Rhydian for reassurance. He smiled softly and nodded twice, giving Maddy all the reassurance she needed.

"I forgive ya, Aran. It's nice to meet you properly." Maddy smiled, her voice soft and hesitant. She came out from behind Rhydian and stood properly now.

"Maddy," Ceri's voice came up now from a few feet away. Frowning again, Maddy looked at the familiar Wolfblood (the last time she had seen Ceri, she was wearing dirty, smelly clothes; now she was wearing jeans and a very pretty blouse and her hair was straightened. It was a wild contrast).  
Ceri continued, slightly awkwardly. "I know we have never gotten along very well before, but I see it in Rhydian's eyes, how he truly feels for you," she was acting as though this was very hard for her to say, and she kept glancing at Rhydian as she was speaking. Rhydian smiled encouragingly at her as she continued. "Jana has told me how things are between you two. And…I hope we can put the past behind us. I will no longer try to take him away from you; you are his Alpha. I realise that now."

Maddy smiled, slightly stunned, and she nodded once. "It's behind us, Ceri. I'm sorry too."

Ceri smiled, leaning forward to give Maddy a quick hug. That had not been what Maddy was expecting, but it was good. It was really good.

Maddy and Rhydian spent lunchtime with the four of them. They all sat around the dining table – which Aran found incredibly confusing and disconcerting at first – and caught up with each other. For a while it was Maddy and Jana catching up as Rhydian caught up with his parents; then it was Rhydian and Jana as Maddy spent some time getting to know Ceri, Gerwyn and Aran a little more.

She bonded with Gerwyn a lot more than she had expected; his sense of humour was very similar to Rhydian's – she could see where he got it from now – and that had always been one of her favourite parts of Rhydian, so she liked it about his dad too.  
He was a nice guy, and Ceri very clearly was in love with him still. It was bizarre for Maddy at first to see Ceri looking so gently, caringly, and so…_humanly_ at someone. But it was obvious in her eyes when she looked at him that she loved him.

And it went the same way for Gerwyn, too. After all these years, they were clearly still smitten.

Rhydian watched out of the corner of his eye as Maddy talked and laughed with his parents. It made a warm feeling grow in his stomach.

A few months ago, he would have never believed that he'd be here right now. Most of his favourite people were here (minus Shannon and Tom), together, in one room and he couldn't remember a time he had ever felt so content. His parents were here together, two good friends from back in his Wild Pack days and, most importantly, his Alpha.

Things were finally beginning to look up for him.

_If only it had lasted. _

* * *

**A/N:** _Okay, first off, I just want to thank the guest reviewer who reviewed "Always" (my JanaxAran fic) saying that it would be cool to have JanaxAran involved in this fic too. I totally agree with you! _

_Thank you so much for reading! And thank you for all your wonderful, wonderful reviews. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Do let me know what you think; are you happy to see Jana again? How about Aran? :) _

_Love :* xxx_

**Next episode of 'The Ancient Grudge': "**She identified the scent in an instant and her confusion worsened. _That scent shouldn't be here_, she thought."


	6. Returns

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with Wolfblood.

* * *

**A/N:** _I hate leaving ANs at the top of chapters but just a subtle heads up because this story is rated T for a reason, so...don't get mad if you don't like what goes down here. But don't worry, it's literally nothing graphic or in detail cus I don't write that kind of stuff:')  
_

* * *

**Episode Four, Part 1 - "Returns"**

* * *

Now that Maddy and Rhydian had been back for just over two weeks, things were starting to settle back to normal. It was now September 1st and summer had passed by all too quickly.

Rhydian had been in contact with Mr. Jeffries. He sorted out that Maddy would be taking her GCSEs this next academic year starting in two days, completing independent study alongside Rhydian and Shannon in their A-level classes, making it easier for Mr. Jeffries to teach her without having to organise more lessons. Of course, Jeffries knew the truth, but their explanation for the rest of the class was that Maddy and her family had had to go to look after a sick family member and now she was back to finish school.

Maddy still didn't know about the fact Mr. Jeffries now knew their secret. Rhydian wasn't sure why, but he was procrastinating telling her; he was scared of her reaction. He'd tell her one day. When the time was right.

When Rhydian had told her how easily and quickly Mr. Jeffries had let her back in to school, Maddy was confused.

"Why did he let us back in so easily?" Maddy had asked.

Rhydian couldn't quite meet her eye; instead, he had just laughed nervously and kept his eyes down. "He's a mystery." He'd settled for saying, hoping that would be the end of the conversation.

The first day back at school was going to be a full moon; Rhydian never thought a night in the den would look so good. For the first time ever he didn't even care about the fact he was locked up in there when the wolf should be able to run free; all he cared about was the fact that he was back home again, with his Alpha, on a full moon.

But now, Maddy was up in her room getting ready for their first date – _finally _– and it felt weird not to be nervous. Usually a first date is something filled with nerves and butterflies, something with an uncertainty about it, but it was different for them.

Maddy and Rhydian had been best friends for two years before they realised their feelings for each other. And they had always been each other's Alphas; they'd always been close, which kind of took away the intense nerves that both Maddy and Rhydian should have been feeling before their first date. Instead, they felt excited to be spending time with each other.

Maddy wore some black skinny jeans and a lilac top with loose sleeves that occasionally slipped down on to her upper arms, revealing her black bra strap. The T-shirt had a pattern on the front featuring butterflies and it was one of Maddy's favourite shirts. On her feet she wore dark purple ballet flats and her hair was as it always was, long and straight, with a tiny bit more makeup than usual around her eyes.

Rhydian wore blue jeans and a smart-casual grey button up shirt. Even though he wasn't nervous, he still wanted to look nice.

Maddy walked out of her room just as Rhydian walked out of his, and they almost collided in the hallway. She'd been hoping for a romantic reveal as she walked down the stairs to greet him at the bottom but, looking back, that wasn't very likely when they lived together. (_Living together_. That sounded so grown up and mature and Maddy wasn't sure that she was okay with it; back when her parents were here, it seemed more normal).

"Hey," Maddy laughed as they almost walked in to each other.

"Hey," Rhydian grinned at her before looking her up and down. Her top showed off her frame perfectly and her long, straight hair looked so beautiful. The left sleeve of her top had fallen slightly leaving her shoulder and strap on show. His eyes were wide before he could stop them and the grin on his face had faded in to a shocked smile.

"Would you stop looking at me like that?" Maddy asked with a smile, her voice low and her cheeks blushing. He'd looked at her in a lot of ways – a lot of ways that showed how much he loved her – but he'd never looked at her quite like this; a slight sparkle in his eyes and a glint she didn't recognise.

"Sorry," Rhydian shook his head as if shaking himself out of a trance and then he smiled at her. "You look beautiful." Stepping forward, he put his hand on her waist and kissed her forehead.

"Thanks," Maddy smiled. She reached down for his hand before leaning forward to give him a quick kiss on the lips. When they parted, they could tell that they both wanted more, but Maddy managed to pull herself away. That could wait until later.

"Shall we go?" Rhydian asked as they started down the stairs.

"Let's go."

"Are we running there?"

"Yeah. But let's walk for a bit first."

When they got to the Kafe, Maddy was very surprised at how different it looked in there. She wondered how Bernie's had never seemed this big before and straight away she could tell that the Ks had decorated this place. It was multicoloured – _everywhere _– and featured a mix of different patterns and tables and booths.

Maddy and Rhydian chose a table in the corner. She tried to avoid looking at the three girls standing behind the counter, even though both her and Rhydian were aware of them watching intently.

Katrina gasped.

"So it _is _true…Maddy's back with Rhydian!" Kay whispered to her friends, not realising that Maddy and Rhydian could hear them perfectly clearly.

"I honestly thought that was just a rumour that Rhydian made up just to make himself feel better." Kara commented, earning a giggle from the other two girls.

Rolling her eyes, Maddy sat down at the table and watched as Rhydian glared at the girls over his shoulder, a light growl emerging at the back of his throat.

Maddy squeezed his hand. "Rhydian, leave 'em. They're not worth it."

After a few minutes, Katrina strutted towards their table and smiled all too sweetly, a small notebook in her hands.

"So, Maddy, where _did_ you and your family run off to all that time ago?"

Maddy rolled her eyes again. "Nice to see you too, Katrina."

"Can we just order?" Rhydian asked impatiently, giving Katrina a look.

"Sure. What can I get yous?"

"Um…I'll have a steak." Maddy said.

"I'll…have the same."

Katrina raised her eyebrows. "Wouldn't kill you to say please."

"Wouldn't kill you to have some tact." Rhydian countered.

Katrina just rolled her eyes and stalked off again in the direction of the counter.

Maddy turned to Rhydian. "Since when are you so snappy?"

"Sorry," Rhydian apologised, putting both of his hands over hers. "I've just…I spent so long missing you, and I wanted to spend some decent time with you back home again. And I'm sick of people being nosy. It's nosy people like her that drove you guys away…"

"Hey, stop talking about that, okay? I'm back. I'm not going anywhere. And…even if I was going anywhere, you would be coming with us."

He looked in to her eyes for a minute; his eyebrows furrowed together, and then sighed through his nose. "You're right. Sorry. I won't bring it up again."

"Good."

Maddy was smiling now, and Rhydian brought her hands up and kissed her knuckles, still looking in to her eyes. His lips lingered on her skin for a minute.

"I've missed you being here." His face was serious, and sad, and sort of regretful.

"I've missed it too," she replied sincerely, taking his hands and kissing his in return.

And then they slipped in to casual conversation, as usual. They had no trouble finding things to talk about; things were always so easy and natural between the couple.

Even though school was starting really soon and Rhydian didn't particularly want to go back, they just enjoyed the time as it was, because for now it was perfect.

Until Liam walked in.

Rhydian's head snapped up when Liam came in through the café's front door and immediately he became anxious. He had one tiny shred of hope that Liam _wouldn't _see him and Maddy sitting here but, of course, he did.

He did a double take when he looked at them. And when he spotted Maddy sitting there, he stumbled back slightly in to the counter and Rhydian tried to catch his eye.

"Maddy?" Liam stuttered out incredulously. His eyes were wide and his breathing had increased; Liam hadn't seen Maddy since the incident with Dr. Whitewood, and it was weirder for him now because he knew her secret. He had been right all along.

Rhydian's heartbeat increased rapidly. Liam couldn't stutter out that he knew the secret now. This was _not _the time.

"What's the matter, Liam?" Kara started, her tone already mocking. "Still worried that Maddy's the _werewolf _of Stoneybridge?" The three Ks fell in to laughter but Liam, Maddy and Rhydian didn't.

Liam just simply glared at the girls. Maddy stared at Rhydian, confused as to why Liam was reacting so strangely. And Rhydian had been trying to catch Liam's eye, but now he was letting out little growls from the back of his throat at the joke Kara had just made.

Katrina continued. "Yeah, especially since that family down South have been killed reportedly by a 'lone wolf'. Maybe it was _Maddy_."

The Ks continued laughing.

Rhydian squeezed Maddy's hands supportively as if to say _she's only joking_, and Maddy seemed to understand. But she still didn't feel any less confused.

"Shut up, Kara." Liam said, his eyes narrowing. He looked back over to Rhydian warily, very tentatively stepping towards the couple sitting at the table.

"Hey, Liam." Maddy said, completely and utterly uninterestedly. She looked down at the table, her hands still in Rhydian's.

"You're back," Liam said cautiously.

Rhydian let out a not-so-subtle cough, getting Liam to turn his nervous eyes to him. Attempting to get what he was trying to say across with just a look, he widened his eyes slightly, shaking his head subtly. Luckily, Liam seemed to understand.

He tilted his chin up in understanding for a second. Then he managed to snap himself out of his weird daze and he looked back to Maddy, a nervous but sincere smile on his lips.

"Nice to see you, Maddy." Liam said, patting her once on the shoulder before turning and walking away.

Maddy glared at Liam from behind the curtain of her brown hair, not moving her head up.

To Maddy, Liam was purely the guy who had started up the whole Dr. Whitewood thing, meaning that _he _was the root cause of why she had to leave all those months ago.

And she wasn't sure why he had had that reaction to seeing her again.

"What was that all about?" Maddy asked once Liam and the Ks were all out of earshot.

Rhydian, now mostly recovered from the tension and anger he had felt a moment ago, shook his head quickly. "Just forget about it."

Maddy looked at him suspiciously, but chose to shake it off.

It was probably nothing. And both of them were sure that what Katrina had joked about was all just made up; after all, the Ks did love to wind everyone up, Liam in particular. Some things never changed.

* * *

Maddy and Rhydian returned home at about 8.30pm. After their dinner, they had decided to go for a longer walk before heading back home.

It was still light outside but not particularly; the sun was setting on the horizon.

Rhydian held Maddy's hand tight as they approached her house. She was pressed in to his side, holding his arm with her spare hand. Something about the atmosphere between the two just made them want to be closer; closer than ever.

The incident with Liam had been long forgotten by Maddy – not so much by Rhydian, but it had mostly slipped his mind – and the date had come to a smooth, content end.

When they got inside, their hands didn't break contact once as Maddy closed the door and locked it behind them. She turned to Rhydian and he was smiling softly at her, blue eyes looking right in to hers.

"Thanks for tonight," Maddy smiled, stepping closer to him again.

"You're welcome. We should do it again…soon."

Nodding, she found herself leaning closer to him and he leaned closer too. Soon their lips were touching and they were kissing, softly and slowly, like both of them were scared anything sudden would break up this moment.

The evening had been so perfect; they never, ever got tired of being together. It was like they never ran out of things to talk about, but even if they did, they would just share the silence together.

Rhydian found himself wanting to pull her closer as they stood in the kitchen by the staircase; he had the overwhelming feeling of how much he truly loved her. He wanted to be closer; to touch her.

They were still kissing slowly minutes later. For a second Rhydian pulled away and took her hand in his, gently pulling her towards the stairs.  
Smiling slightly, Maddy willingly followed. They didn't break eye contact all the way up to her room.

Their kiss didn't become heated or fast or rushed once they were up in Maddy's room, the door now closed behind them even though no one else was in the house.  
In movies, this kind of scene would always be fast and heated. They would always act before they thought but with Maddy and Rhydian in this moment, everything was slow. Somehow it was even more passionate than the rushed scenes you see on movies; every ounce of them just wanted to connect. To show how much they loved each other.

"I love you," Rhydian mumbled against her lips. "So much."

"I love you too."

And then Rhydian gently guided her towards her bed, and Maddy didn't stop him.

* * *

When Rhydian woke up the next morning, he was effortlessly close to a peacefully sleeping Maddy. It took him a second to realise that he was in her room and not his; the light streaming through her red curtains gave the whole room a slightly red tint rather than the blue he was used to.

They had had to sleep really close to each other, their bare skin touching almost everywhere, because of how small Maddy's bed was. It wasn't ideal, and it wasn't particularly comfortable, but it was happening. And Rhydian wasn't going to complain. Maybe they wouldn't be doing this every night, but still, he loved it for now.

Maddy's head was buried in to his neck, under his chin. He could feel her breath on the dip where his neck met his chest and it felt nice to have her this close. Last night he had just wanted her to know how much he loved her; now much he _needed _her. They were inseparable now. Nothing was ever, _ever _going to break them apart again; they were a partnership now and their only true ties were to each other.  
Sure, they had responsibilities within their pack, lives and families, but nothing could ever be as important as the responsibilities and ties they had to each other.

That was the only way they ever needed to be. _Together_.

Rhydian dozed off again after a few minutes of lying still; the steady rhythm of Maddy's quiet breathing had sent him back to sleep.

Maddy woke up with her face up against Rhydian's warm chest. He was asleep, she knew that much; his breathing was soft and steady and she could feel it moving the hairs slightly at the back of her neck. His arms were wrapped around her whole body as they lay dangerously close to each other. She felt safe and at home. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions, but she thought it was worth it.  
Her bare skin was covered by the sheets and as she lay there, breathing in Rhydian's familiar scent, she closed her eyes and began to remember what had happened yesterday.

Rhydian had been amazing last night. She was astounded by the amount of respect he had for her; he had asked her if she was sure at least three times and taken things slow. The way he'd kissed her was so romantic and it showed her, every single second, how much he loved her.  
Maddy had done the same for him and put every ounce of love in to every second they spent together. She hadn't wanted any of the moments to end and everything was ten times better than she had ever imagined it to be.

Feeling Rhydian's arms around her and breath tickling her skin now as they lay on her bed together, she felt like nothing could ever be that bad again as long as they were together. He was her Alpha, and she was his. Nothing would ever change that and nothing would ever be able to break them apart.

But Maddy was broken out of her happy trance by the sound of the doorbell ringing downstairs. She frowned to herself and Rhydian stirred, inhaling quickly and moving away from her slightly.

"Someone's at the door," Maddy whispered.

Rhydian brought his hand up and rubbed his right eye. "Who is it?"

"I don't know, I can't smell 'em yet. I'll go down…you stay here."

Maddy hastily but begrudgingly climbed out of bed and pulled on her jeans from last night and Rhydian's T-shirt that was sitting on the floor. Her hair was a mess, she knew that much, but she didn't have time to do anything with it.

When Maddy walked down the stairs, a familiar scent began to fill her nostrils. She didn't quite identify it yet, but a frown etched its way on to her features and she started descending the stairs slower.

She identified the scent in an instant now and her confusion worsened. _That scent shouldn't be here_, she thought.

And when her hand came down and opened the door, and she saw the familiar faces staring back at her, she froze. They didn't look happy, or surprised, or anything like that. _No_. Their faces were creased with worry and anxiety, and there was a sad, hurting glint behind their familiar eyes; their cheeks were streaked with dry tear stains underneath the dark circles.  
Why on earth were they here, and why were they looking at her like _that_?

"Mam? Dad?"

* * *

**A/N: **_Hola! _

_So, for some reason I feel like I'm going to get some bad reviews for this chapter. I guess I kind of left it up to the imagination, but people might have different opinions on what happened here.  
_

_I hope you enjoyed the chapter though! Do let me know what you thought. As always, constructive criticism only please. :) _

_Thank you for all your wonderful reviews on the last chapter too _

_Love :* xxx_

**_UPDATE:_**_ Thank you to the guest reviewer for reminding me to put the episode title at the top of this chapter! _


	7. Breaking Point

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with Wolfblood.

* * *

**Episode Four, Part 2 - "Breaking Point" **

* * *

"Mam? Dad?" Maddy questioned, her voice utterly confused. Her frown deepened.

Emma and Dan stepped inside wordlessly, their heads now hanging low. They weren't holding hands or looking at anything in particular. Maddy noticed that her mum's face had tear stains on it.

Maddy's mouth opened and closed as she tried to get a sentence out of her mouth, but she was totally lost for words. Her parents had been in Canada just over two weeks ago and they seemed to have their hearts pretty set on staying there and away from civilisation, so why had they come back so soon? And why did they look so…_anxious_?

"Why…why are you guys here? Not that I'm not happy to see you, I just…_why_?" She knew there was something wrong.

Maddy's parents turned to face her when they walked in to the kitchen, and they finally looked Maddy in the eyes. But they looked at her reluctantly; like it took everything in them to make eye contact with their daughter.

"Maddy, pet, we had to come back because we have some bad news we have to tell you…" Emma started, standing by the table.  
Just at that moment, Rhydian came downstairs. Thankfully he had pulled on some sweatpants and a T-shirt, although his hair was still very tousled. Maddy's cheeks flushed red when she realised that the messiness of his hair was probably down to how she had run her hands through it repeatedly last night.

As soon as Rhydian lifted his head to see who was there, his brow furrowed in confusion and he pulled his head back slightly.

"Mr and Mrs. S? What are you guys doing here?" Rhydian asked, just as confused as Maddy by the bewildered looks on their faces. He walked over to Maddy who was standing by the table and watched as her parents sat down. They sat down opposite them.

"We…we have some bad news," Emma said again. Tears hit her eyes once more. Rhydian and Maddy both noticed.

Maddy looked from her mum to her dad, hoping to find that one of her parents was looking less distraught; unfortunately, Dan looked just as upset as her mum. Maybe even more.

Maddy gripped her chair uncomfortably. "Well? What is it?"

Emma took a deep breath. Her words were shaky. "Maddy, pet, we…um…someone from your aunt's pack down south called us up today. She…she told us that our family – your aunt, uncle and cousins – have all…" her voice cracked as a fresh wave of tears rose in her eyes.

Instinctively, Rhydian took a hold of Maddy's hand and held it tight.

Dan continued for Emma who was now crying again.  
"They've been killed, Maddy," his voice was tiny and weak, and Maddy had never heard him like this before. She'd never heard either of them sound so…_vulnerable_. "Our family has been killed. The woman who told us is one of three in their pack that are left. They barely got away." He wasn't looking her in the eyes. Instead, his eyes were darting around as if the tears were about to fall, as if _he _was about to fall apart, but he wasn't letting himself.

"Wh...what?" Maddy stammered, a wave of different emotions passing over her in an instant. Rhydian moved his chair closer their arms were crossing as they held hands; he was looking back and forth from Maddy to her parents, a worried and confused look on his face. "How? W-When? _Why_?"

"It's…a little hard to explain," Dan watched his daughter carefully now. He didn't want to make her feel worse by explaining. "Our family of Wolfbloods goes back hundreds of years; our history, our culture, our values.… But, unfortunately…that means that some bad stuff goes back that far along with the good things.  
"Our ancestors had some sort of ancient grudge with a pack of wild Wolfbloods hundreds of years ago, and we thought that they'd all died out centuries ago, but…it turns out there's one left."

"And…he killed our family on his _own_?" Maddy's eyes were filling with tears now; tears of confusion, grief, sadness…

Emma shrugged miserably. "He's a wild Wolfblood, pet. His family or pack must have been teaching him for years to do this. We're not sure if he had help for it, though. We're not sure on any of the details," she told her cub, leaning over and placing a hand over hers. "I'm so sorry, pet. We didn't want it to be this way."

And then things started to fit together.

The joke Katrina had made yesterday in the Kafe about the family in the south who had been reportedly killed by a wolf.

It wasn't just _any_ family that had been killed. It was Maddy's family.

And it wasn't _just_ a report. It was all true.

Maddy's eyes finally spilled over with tears. She turned her head to face Rhydian, eyes wide, lip quivering. He stared at her with a look on his face that was indescribable.

"Maddy…" he whispered, not really sure what to say as he watched his girlfriend begin to fall apart before his eyes.

Instead of saying anything, Maddy just let out a small sob noise and threw herself at Rhydian, burying her head in to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as tightly as he could through his own shock and sadness.

She was letting out loud sobs now and Rhydian could feel a patch on his shirt begin to get slightly wet. He didn't know what to say or do; there really was _nothing _he could say or do to make this better.  
Her hands were grabbing on to his shirt over his shoulders, failing to find grip there but not wanting to break Rhydian's touch. It was like she couldn't hold herself up but she was still trying to by holding on to Rhydian. Like, somehow, holding on to him would keep her together when everything around her was falling apart.

Emma and Dan watched as their daughter sobbed in to Rhydian's chest. Dan felt Emma tense; they weren't used to Maddy turning to anyone else for comfort except them. It was a weird feeling, and Emma started feeling slightly protective over her cub. As far as she was concerned, Rhydian had no place being her daughter's first port of call for comfort. They hadn't witnessed anything over the past two weeks of Maddy and Rhydian being by themselves; they weren't used to seeing their cub so attached to someone else.  
And Emma couldn't help but notice that Maddy was wearing Rhydian's shirt, the buttons done up slightly off-centre. She had to resist the eyebrow that was threatening to raise.

"I'm so sorry, Mr and Mrs Smith," Rhydian said seriously as he pulled his head away from their daughter's neck, his eyebrows furrowed so deeply that you could barely see his blue eyes. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thanks, Rhydian," Emma smiled politely at him and then reached for her daughter. "Now, come here, pet. Give us a hug." When Maddy didn't move, Emma froze.

Rhydian didn't know what to do.

"Rhydian, let her go. She needs her mam." Emma said seriously. She didn't want to come across as being pushy, but she also didn't want to watch Rhydian comfort _her _cub anymore. This was a time of pain for the whole family, and she wasn't sure she was comfortable with Rhydian being in on everything.

Maddy's strained, tear-filled voice came up, muffled from Rhydian's chest. "I don't want to let him go."

"You need your mam," Emma insisted, "a cub always needs her mam in times of pain."

Maddy responded in a way no one thought she would. Instead of sobbing even more, her sadness and grief seemed to turn to anger.

Her eyes went yellow in an instant and she turned to face her mum, her head snapping around at an unbelievable speed.

"I'm not your cub anymore!" She yelled, her voice almost bubbly from the crying. "Stop calling us that!"

"Maddy, pet, I'm not trying to—"

"Stop it! What's so wrong with us turning to Rhydian for comfort!? _Ugh_!" In a flash, she pushed her chair back and started to storm up the stairs, her feet making a loud stomping noise as she went.

After last night, Maddy was more connected to Rhydian than ever, and he was the comfort she needed for now.

Rhydian watched until she was out of sight and then turned to her parents awkwardly. Maddy always was temperamental; he guessed that the grief of losing not just one family member, but several of them, had already begun taking its toll on Maddy and she was reacting with anger.  
If he listened closely, he could hear her heart beating from upstairs. It was fast and irregular, like her breathing was jagged and unstable.

"I'll talk to her." Rhydian mumbled, beginning to get up from his seat.

"No, I'll talk to her." Emma started for the stairs before Rhydian, but then she heard the sound of her daughter's voice come down the stairs from her bedroom.

"No one but Rhydian is talking to us right now."

For a moment, Emma gave Rhydian a look. But he was looking at her so innocently – so worried for Maddy – that she couldn't stop him from going up to see her cub. Maddy needed someone, and if she wasn't going to turn to her own mother, then Emma would just have to let Maddy speak to Rhydian. Her protective instinct could wait.

"Tell her I'm sorry for getting too protective." Emma said quietly to Rhydian before sitting back down again.

Once Rhydian was up the stairs, he slowly pushed open the door to Maddy's room.

He found her lying on her bed on her side, her back to the door and her body jerking every few seconds from crying. A sense of déjà-vu came over him for a moment.

There were still clothes on the floor from last night and the sheets were still messed up, pushed to the bottom of the bed.

"Mads," Rhydian started, his voice soft as he closed the door behind him. "Maddy, come here." He climbed on to her bed and lay on his side. She didn't turn to face him just yet so instead he shuffled closer and put his arm around her waist from behind. "I'm sorry about your family." He left a chaste but slow kiss on her neck.

He heard Maddy sniff and watched as she moved to wipe her nose with her sleeve. Her hair was covering her face so he couldn't really see her expression, but he still lay close to her and kissed the back of her head.

"I didn't mean to storm out," she finally spoke, her voice tiny and weak. "It's just…mam and dad always hassled us about ya before we left Stoneybridge and now they're doing it again. They're not used to sharing us. I guess…they just didn't want to lose out on giving us comfort. They're used to being the ones I turn to."

Rhydian was quiet for a moment before he took a shaky breath and spoke. "I can go if you want. Just for a while. If that'll make it easier between you guys…"

Maddy's hand came down and took a hold of his, lacing their fingers together. "No. I want you to stay."

And finally, after a few more minutes, she slowly turned around so that she was facing him. Pressing her head in to the pillow, she closed her eyes, feeling a few tears spill out as she got herself comfortable (as comfortable as she could on this small bed, anyway).

Rhydian wished he could say something to make it all go away. He'd only just got her back, only just seen her smile again, and now something else from her world was being ripped out from underneath her. He hated seeing her hurting, and he hated that he couldn't make it better.

So instead, he settled for putting his arm around her and letting her bury her head in to his chest. She clenched her fist around his shirt and held on to it as if it were a lifeline.

Maddy sobbed for a while. Rhydian felt the shaking and jerking of her body against his, and after another half hour or so her breathing slowed down, flooding Rhydian with a tiny bit of relief.

"Do you want me to tell your parents that they can come up now?" Rhydian asked quietly in to her ear.

"They're probably listening anyway." Maddy grumbled.

"Do you want to see them?"

"No."

"Are you okay?"

Maddy hesitated. A fresh wave of tears came over her. "No."

* * *

Rhydian and Maddy wished now more than ever that she had a bigger bed.

Last night had been bearable, sharing a bed together for the majority of the night, but tonight it wasn't going to be possible. Maddy had the strangest feeling of being closed in – it had been there since about a half hour after she got the news – and as much as she wanted to be near Rhydian, she didn't want to share a tiny bed with him.

And anyway, they didn't exactly want to highlight to Emma and Dan what they had done last night. So they decided to try and keep as low of a profile as possible.

Emma and Dan had been okay with the couple sharing a bed in Canada, but mainly just because Rhydian had nowhere else to sleep, and the bed was big enough. But here, Maddy and Rhydian got the strangest feeling that her parents might suddenly _not _be okay with it; especially after the way Emma had been with Rhydian earlier that day.

So instead, he went through to his own room at about midnight, after having comforted Maddy as much as he could.

Maddy didn't want him to leave her alone. She was already hurting enough and not having Rhydian near her made her miss him and his comfort. But it was something they had to deal with for a number of reasons.

She sat up in bed after he'd left the room and put her head against the wall. Their rooms were connected by this wall and both of the heads of their beds were up against each other behind the wall. For a while she listened as he got ready for bed, waiting until she could tell he was in bed and the light was off.

"Rhydian," Maddy whispered. "Rhydian, can ya hear me?"

"Yeah," she heard him whisper back. He sat up in bed and leaned the side of his head against the bedroom wall. "Are you okay?"

"Not really. I want to be with ya."

"I know," Rhydian sighed and folded his arms over his chest. "I want to be with you too."

"Especially after last night," Maddy couldn't hold back a small grin and she bit her bottom lip.

Rhydian chuckled. "_Definitely_ after last night."

"Too bad me parents had to come and ruin it. Mam is driving me up the wall."

"They had no choice, Mads. They had to come... They had to tell you."

"I know." She sighed.

"I can sneak through if you want."

Maddy shook her head, even though he couldn't see her, and she leaned her forehead on the cold wall. "Me parents will know. Somehow they always do. And anyway, I don't feel so well."

"What's wrong?"

"I just feel closed in. It's weird, especially because it's the full moon really soon."

"That is weird," he agreed, "maybe you're just tired though."

"Maybe."

For a moment Rhydian stayed silent. His eyes were closed as he turned so it was his forehead against the wall, and somehow he could feel that she was doing the same on the other side.

"I want to kiss you right now," Rhydian said out of the blue, his voice low and serious. He just suddenly felt the need to kiss her.

"I want to kiss you too." She breathed.

A beat of silence passed over them before Rhydian spoke again. "School starts tomorrow."

"I know,"

"Do you think you should go? After the news you just got?"

"I don't know. I'll wait and see what me parents think."

And they went on like this for a while, just talking. Soon they both fell asleep, but it was all Maddy needed, just to hear his voice for a while. It calmed her down.

But the pain in her chest was still there, and the feeling of being closed in had worsened.

* * *

**A/N: **_SEASON FOUR. SEASON FOUR. THERE IS A SEASON FOUR. THERE IS GOING TO BE A SEASON FOUR. I AM NOT CALM. _

_Sorry, just had to get that out of my system. I keep remembering at random moments that it's actually happening and then get all excited all over again. :') Are you guys excited for it!? _

_Anyway, thank you for your amazing, amazing reviews on the last chapter. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint! Please do leave a review to let me know what you thought. And also what you hope to see in the actual season four that IS HAPPENING. :D _

_Love :* xxx_


	8. Morwal

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

**Episode Five, Part 1 - "Morwal"**

* * *

Rhydian woke up the next morning at 7am. Things had been relatively quiet in the house, but he could hear Maddy's parents moving around quietly downstairs in the kitchen.  
So he'd gone downstairs to talk to them, and together they had decided that Maddy wouldn't go to school that day. Her head had been so cloudy after finding out the news about her family; it wouldn't have been a good idea to go in to school and face all the curious eyes, nosy questions and stuffy classrooms.

Now it was 7.30am, and Rhydian decided to leave Maddy be for a while now in case she was still sleeping. Instead he went for a shower.  
It was full moon day, and Rhydian was hyped because of that fact but also worried for Maddy. What kind of a full moon would it be when Maddy was so heartbroken about what had happened to her family?

Half an hour later, Mrs. Smith and Mr. Smith were downstairs, Emma just about to take a mug of tea up to her daughter when she heard a door slam upstairs.

At first she thought it might have been Rhydian – she knew Maddy wasn't going to school today – but then a familiar scent filled her nose.

Maddy came down a few seconds later, dressed in her school uniform. Uncharacteristically, she had some makeup around her eyes, and her hair was pulled back at the sides.

Her parents eyed her strangely when she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"What?" Maddy questioned coldly.

Emma shared a glance with Dan before looking back to Maddy. "Nothing, it's just…we thought you were going to stay home from school today. You know, so you could get over the shock."

"I'm fine."

"You're not going to school today, Mads. Sorry, but it's just not a good idea. Things are too tough right now."

"I'm _going_ to school. I haven't had a normal life in ages. You can't stop us."

Dan frowned. "Maddy, we're just trying to help…"

"Well you're not helping!" Maddy exclaimed, grabbing an apple and picking up her school bag. Her eyes suddenly started turning their familiar yellow colour, and her parents weren't really sure why. "I'm fine. I'm not going to let a stupid wolfblood fight stop me from living me life."

Both of her parents were frowning at her now. They'd never seen Maddy like this before. Her eyes were wild and had turned yellow at even the slightest feeling of anger, her hair and makeup were totally different to normal, and she was even feistier than usual and was practically demanding that she went to school. Like she was trying to take control.

"Maddy, maybe stay home just for today and then go in tomorrow, how's that?" Dan tried to reason with his daughter. It didn't work.

She turned to him and glared, a small growl escaping from the back of her throat before she turned on her heel and ran out the front door.

Seconds later, Rhydian came downstairs. He was dressed in his uniform and a frown was etched on to his features.

"What just happened?" He asked. "Where's Maddy?"

Emma gave him a wary look. She was chewing her bottom lip. "She's not herself this morning," she started hesitantly, "she's just gone in to school—"

"What?" Rhydian cut her off, his frown intensifying. "I thought we agreed she wasn't going in?"

"Well, we tried to stop her just now, but she wouldn't give in. Her eyes were turning yellow and she just wasn't acting herself. I just wanted to ask you to look out for her today. You know, at school…"

"Of course. Always."

"Thanks, Rhydian. Hopefully she'll be fine, but call us if you need us."

Before Emma could say anything else, Rhydian had turned on his heel and run out of the front door after grabbing his bag.

Emma turned to Dan, a slightly worried look still in her eyes.

"You think she'll be okay?" Dan asked.

"Rhydian's on it," Emma shrugged, wrapping her arms around Dan's waist, "he'll keep her safe."

But she was still worried. And Dan knew that.

* * *

Maddy was running through the woods at full speed. She could feel the tingling in her hands and feet as the exhilaration reached an all time high, and it was like nothing she'd ever felt before. Jet black veins were beginning to appear on her hands and she laughed to herself. She felt free. _Wild_.

All of a sudden, Rhydian caught the scent of his girlfriend in his nostrils and it was getting closer. But it wasn't her usual scent; she smelled different in a really weird way. He could still identify that it was Maddy – he could identify her scent any day – but it was tainted with something different; something more intense. Something he'd only ever smelled once before.…

Before he knew it, she'd appeared at his side and was grinning ecstatically, her eyes glowing an extreme yellow. It was the polar opposite of the way he'd last seen her last night; lying on her bed, tears streaming down her face, her skin pale and brown eyes sunken.

"Rhydian!" Maddy grinned now, jumping on his back straight away.

"Maddy?" Rhydian was extremely confused. What had gotten in to her?

"Come on then…let's go to school!" She hit his arm with her hand as if she was riding a horse, and he couldn't help but let out a little chuckle.

Bending down a little, he put her back down on the floor and then turned to face her. "We're not going anywhere until you do something about those eyes. And those _veins_."

"What about 'em?"

"People can't see you like that at school, Mads."

All of a sudden, Maddy seemed to explode right before him. Her mood shifted from hyper and playful to angry and serious. "You're trying to stop us from going to school too, aren't ya!?"

Rhydian frowned. "What? No, I—"

"You can't stop me! I'm going to school! This is _my_ pack, and I do what I want!" Pushing past him, she started walking towards school again but he grabbed her hand to pull her back.

"Maddy, wait. I'm not trying—"

"Just let us go! I'm going to school like a _normal person_."

And before his eyes, she was gone.

It took a few moments for it all to sink in.

The eyes glowing at the slightest heightened emotion. The veins surging under her skin. The need to control everything. The need to feel in power. The sudden and unpredictable change from _Maddy_ to this…_wolf _who was demanding that she does what she wants. The change in her scent.

He'd seen it (and smelled it) all before. Back when Jana lost her pack, she'd turned in to someone – some_thing_ – else, her anger and inner wolf getting the better of her. For Jana, it hadn't even been _her _wolf. It was something totally different.

_A Morwal. _

Maddy had the Morwal in her.

The Morwal happened when a wolfblood felt extreme pain or loss about something on the event of a full moon. For Jana it was when her pack abandoned her; that was her ultimate pain. And for Maddy, clearly her great pain was losing her family the way she did. She'd been consumed by the emotion of grief so much so that she turned in to something else.

"Morwal," Rhydian murmured to himself before quickly following her. He couldn't leave her on her own today; it was too risky. He'd have to try and calm her down somehow; try to get her to find herself again.

* * *

"Hey Mads," Shannon greeted Maddy tentatively as she walked through the playground. She wasn't expecting Maddy to come to school today.

"Hey, Shan." Maddy was grinning like she'd just won the lottery, and Shannon was immediately confused.

She eyed her best friend warily. "How you doing…?" She drawled.

"I'm fine," Maddy shrugged nonchalantly, her smile fading in to a serious line. "Absolutely fine. Ready for school? I know I am." And then she stalked off towards the school's entrance, leaving Shannon standing on her own, thoroughly confused.

Emma had called Shannon and Tom last night to tell them what had happened, and then this morning as well so as to give Shannon a heads up about Maddy not being in school. But now she was here, acting very peculiar, and Shannon wasn't really sure what to do or what to make of it.

She spotted Rhydian running across the field towards her and waited patiently. His brow was furrowed and his face was serious.

"Morwal," he said, out of breath, when he reached her.

She gave him a weird look. "Hello to you too."

"No," he grumbled impatiently. "It's Maddy. She's got the Morwal in her. It's not her wolf.… Remember what happened to Jana, the day after she lost her pack? On the full moon?"

Shannon's face straightened out in realisation, her eyes growing wide. "_Maddy_? Morwal?"

Rhydian nodded, glancing around the playground ominously. "She's pretty torn up about her family, and I guess this is her ultimate pain. She told me last night that they were her only family left besides her parents. She grew up with them, Shan. And now they've gone."

"Poor Maddy," Shannon breathed. "What can we do to stop this?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. We can only keep an eye out for her. Try not to let her eyes turn or her veins show, that kind of thing. Try to keep her as calm as possible. We don't want a repeat of Jana…"

Shannon nodded seriously. "I'll keep an eye out. You go find her."

"Where did she go?"

"In to the school."

"I'll follow her scent."

Within minutes Rhydian was running through the school, following the cloud of scent that wasn't as pure as usual; tainted with something else, something that wasn't Maddy. He didn't like where this was going.

"Maddy!" He called when he finally saw her, standing at her locker, eating a piece of bacon. He frowned. "Where did you get that?"

"Rhydian!" Maddy grinned and pulled him in by his collar, kissing him roughly. It caught him off guard and he had to pull away to catch his breath. Straight away, she leaned back in. This wasn't Maddy. And he wasn't so keen on kissing her when it wasn't even _her. _

"Shall we go to registration?" Rhydian smiled nervously, taking her hand and leading her towards the double doors.

"I want more bacon."

"You can't have bacon now, Mads. Where did you even get that?"

She shrugged. "Jimi had some."

"Why?"

"Said he had breakfast on the way to school, or something."

Rhydian shook his head slowly, incredulous. "Okay then."

* * *

Maddy's Morwal was becoming increasingly harder to control as the day progressed. In Biology, someone had bumped her shoulder as they walked past by accident and she'd started to growl, veins and wolf teeth coming out in a flash. Rhydian noticed the change in eye colour right away and had to get her to excuse herself to the toilets to calm down.

Not to mention the curious eyes and questions coming from all the people that had stayed at school to complete A-levels. Every time someone asked something a little too nosy, Maddy would jolt towards them and bare her teeth, growls escaping from her throat. Rhydian was on edge all day, trying to keep her safe.

In History, someone started talking about the history of ancient feuds and how they can lead people to do some awful things such as kidnap or kill people, and Maddy very nearly lost it. Even more so than in Biology.  
Her breathing had become heavier, she'd started letting out small growls, and Rhydian noticed the black veins begin to surface under her skin.

He'd moved closer and put his hands over hers to stop anyone from seeing the veins, and when he touched her, she flinched. She flinched right back and looked at him for a moment as if she had no idea who he was, her eyes glowing yellow.  
Just like Rhydian had had to do with Jana a few months ago, he put his hand on the back of Maddy's neck and pulled her face in to his chest. It was lucky that she didn't protest and when she'd pulled away, her eyes and skin back to normal again, she had seemed to snap back in to reality.

Her eyes drifted downwards and she shook her head. "Sorry. I don't know what's got in to us."

Rhydian knew.

Rhydian knew exactly what had gotten in to her, but he didn't think that now was the time to explain it to her. When he tried to do that for Jana, it had only made things worse. So instead, he gave her a slightly sad smile and held her hands tighter.

At lunch time, all seemed calm until Mr. Jeffries came in.

Maddy was sitting next to Rhydian, their arms brushing together slightly as they ate. Shannon was still getting her lunch.  
Mr. Jeffries came straight to their table and he crouched down next to where Rhydian was sitting.

"Just wanted to check everything was okay. I saw Maddy get a bit worked up in History and wanted to…you know…check she's alright. I don't think anyone saw. I know it must be hard, settling in after all that time away…"

Rhydian smiled slightly and started answering, but Maddy had heard her form tutor loud and clear and she snapped her head around quickly.

"I'm fine, Mr. Jeffries. Why wouldn't I be?" Maddy snapped.

Mr. Jeffries eyed her warily and then looked back to Rhydian, who gave him a slow nod and a look that said 'just leave it'. "Okay, just…as long as everyone's alright." And then he started walking off, and Maddy's eyes shot to Rhydian.

"What did he mean by 'no one saw'? No one saw _what_?" She demanded, grabbing his arm and holding it tight; not in a romantic way, more of an 'I'm really angry at you so don't even think about trying to get out of this' kind of way.

"Nothing, I…I think he just meant that no one realised something was wrong." Rhydian was beginning to regret not telling her about Mr. Jeffries (and Liam) sooner. He'd been scared of her reaction, but now that she was Morwal? Her reaction would be worse than ever.

Maddy narrowed her eyes. "We both know that's not the truth, Rhydian. I can hear your heartbeat, remember? I know when to spot a liar; you taught me that yourself!"

"What's going on?" Shannon asked when she made it to their table.

Maddy decided to answer for Rhydian. "Mr. Jeffries just came along and asked if I was okay in History and told us that 'no one saw'. But Rhydian hasn't told us what he was on about!"

Shannon spoke before her brain gave her permission. She looked at Rhydian warily. "You haven't told her?"

Maddy's eyes shot to her best friend. "Told me what?"

"Maddy, calm down, I'll…I'll tell you the truth, OK?" Rhydian took a hold of Maddy's hand and she turned back to him, her eyes narrowed.

"Go on then."

"Not here. I'll tell you later."

"_Now_, Rhydian."

Impatiently, Rhydian sighed and slammed his spare fist on the table. "Alright! Fine! Mr. Jeffries _knows_ about us, okay? He knows. And…and so does Liam."

Maddy felt the anger surge through her veins as this information sunk in. Mr. Jeffries…_knew_ about her secret? And _Liam_? Liam, of all people! How had this happened? Why did they betray the secret? And why didn't Rhydian tell her that Jeffries and Liam knew?  
She felt like she'd been lied to, stabbed in the back and completely betrayed.

This wasn't her.

"_What_?" Maddy growled through gritted teeth, the familiar black veins beginning to surface on her hands. Again. "Why didn't you tell me!?"

"I'm sorry, Mads, I…we didn't think it was something you needed to know."

"Oh yeah? Well that's not exactly up to you to decide, is it!? I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Maddy was coming across as being upset by this – and deep down she was – but right now, the sadness seemed to be overtaken by a feeling of anger. She just felt so out of control, so _outraged_, by the fact that her teacher now knew her biggest secret and her own _boyfriend_ didn't care to tell her this vital piece of information.

Her blood was rushing through her veins now and she felt the tingling begin. It was unbearable; nothing like anything she'd ever felt before. Normally she felt in control, but right now she didn't even feel like herself. It was such a simple thing to get upset about – something that wouldn't usually bother her this much – but she didn't feel in control.

The anger took over her, and to be honest, she didn't even care anymore. All she wanted was revenge. Domination.

Low and quiet growls were escaping her throat now. Her teeth were bared.

"Maddy, calm down," Shannon's voice came up softly from the opposite side of the table.

"_NO!_" Maddy exclaimed, catching the attention of quite a few people in the lunch hall. "I will _not _calm down! I can't believe you didn't tell us, Rhydian! You betrayed me!"

"That's not _you _talking, Maddy. It's the Morwal." Rhydian said lowly through gritted teeth.

Maddy stood up from her seat, half noticing the crash of the chair as she pushed it to the floor, and Rhydian watched her. Instantly, he noticed the change in her eyes and the thin, black lines gradually appearing up around her neck. "I have no idea what that means, but I don't care what you call it, I—"

But then Rhydian stood up too and begrudgingly grabbed her by the shirt, pulling her in to his chest so that no one saw the veins, and the eyes, and now the teeth, too.

"Let me _go_!" She wriggled and squirmed and hit him, trying to get away, but when nothing worked she decided to just yell at him from where she was.

"You are unbelievable, Rhydian! You need to stop pretending like you care about us when all you care about is yourself! I should've known you were keeping such a big secret from us. You're a _liar_. That's all you've ever been!"

And then, she tore her body away from his and ran at full speed out the door to the lunch hall. Everyone watched her until she was out of sight, and then all eyes turned to Rhydian.

"Nothing to see here," Shannon stood up behind Rhydian and took him by the shoulders, pushing him towards the door where Maddy had previously ran. They stopped just inside the hallway, letting the door close behind them.

Rhydian was frowning intensely, his jaw clenched and his eyebrows brought together.

"Since when was Maddy so sensitive!?" He exclaimed, but he already knew the answer.

"It's the Morwal," Shannon reminded him softly, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder. "She can't help it."

Rhydian was staring down at the ground, his fists clenched and his mind whirling around. He didn't know what to do; he didn't know how to control this.

For a moment he thought back over the time when this had been Jana; when she had turned at the slightest feeling of anger or betrayal and started going all-wolf.

He'd followed Jana then. That had helped.

"I have to go after her," Rhydian finally concluded, lifting his eyes up to meet his friend.

Shannon frowned. "What? No, not on your own; not when she's in that state and that angry at you. Maybe you should let her cool off a bit."

"No. She's dangerous; it's not her wolf. She could hurt someone," and then he looked at the floor and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. And when he looked up again, his eyes looked bloodshot and concerned. "…She could hurt herself." He started for the door to the car park but Shannon stopped him, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Rhydian, please…"

"Look," Rhydian started, giving her the gentlest look he could. "I know you're just trying to help; but Maddy's had to calm me down when I've nearly lost it so many times. Now it's my turn to do the same for her."

He was looking at Shannon so seriously, so sincerely, that she couldn't help but nod and let him go. He loved Maddy more than anything, and as it was his natural instinct to protect her, she couldn't keep him here.

"Good luck." Shannon said before he charged down the hallway and out the doors.

* * *

**A/N: **_And t__he plot thickens, as they say. :P _

_Thank you so much for your reviews on the last chapter! I love you guys and reading back on all these reviews, faves and follows just makes me so happy. I never thought this many people would be in to this story and it makes me so happy that you guys like reading this story as much as I'm absolutely **loving **writing it. Thank you! _

_Hope you liked this chapter and that it didn't disappoint. Let me know what you thought in a review! :) _

_Love :* xxx_

**_PS:_**_ Just in response to a question from a guest reviewer; I would never normally give any spoilers but in this case I will, so... no, Maddy will not be finding out she's pregnant in a few chapters of this story. I have a whole plot line ready and that's not in the plan as of yet :) _


	9. Rescue Misson

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

**Episode Five, Part 2 - "Rescue Mission"**

* * *

Rhydian followed Maddy's tainted scent and he tracked it about halfway up their usual pathway before he knew that she was close.

He found her running, faster than she'd ever run before, towards the top of the moors. And then she stopped in a clearing by a big tree, and stood on the spot, her hands in her hair and her now-yellow eyes wide. Veins were showing everywhere on her skin, her teeth were now the wolf's, and she looked terrified. Bewildered. Panicked.

"Maddy!" Rhydian called, running towards her as fast as he could.

When he reached her, she pushed him back forcefully, nearly causing him to fall down. "Stay away from us Rhydian!"

"No! I won't leave you like this!"

She took another blow to his chest. "I'm fine! This is who I am! You have to go! You can't stop us!"

Rhydian watched her for a moment. She was moving her weight from foot to foot, swaying back and forth slightly and looking as if she were about to turn any moment. If she turned now, the Morwal would take over. And Rhydian would have no chance of saving her or himself.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to take action before this got way out of hand. He had to save her. He couldn't let her go through this alone.

He took a huge step forward and got a solid hold of both of her shoulders before pushing her back in to the tree behind her. He held her there, tight enough so that she couldn't move but not tight enough to hurt her.

"Maddy," he looked in to her eyes. They were both out of breath and she didn't look like her. She was still growling lowly. "Maddy, listen to me. You have to snap out of it. This isn't you; don't let it take over," and when she swallowed before taking more gasps for air, her face still looking the same, he realised he had to continue like this. "I love you, Mads; I'm here for you. We're all here for you. But you _have _to snap out of it. _Please_. This isn't you; you can do this – you can fight it." Rhydian felt weirdly teary as he stared in to her eyes and watched the veins on her neck and cheeks slowly recede.  
He'd been one step closer to losing her a few seconds ago, and he watched as her eyes seemed to come back in to reality. She finally looked a little like her again; her teeth were normal and the veins were gone. She was still gasping for air.

"Maddy?" Rhydian asked, exasperated, hoping he'd managed to break the wall of fear the Morwal had imprisoned her behind.

Maddy didn't say anything.

She gasped, totally snapping back in to reality, and her body suddenly went weak. "This isn't me." Her breathing was rasped and strained as she fell down. Rhydian only just managed to catch her and when he did, he stood back up and held her in his arms.

The sobbing she was doing now was so much worse than it had been last night. Her sobs were taking over her entire body; every time she sobbed, it was almost a wretch too. Her throat was already hurting.

Rhydian leaned down and put his lips to her ear. "Maddy, it's okay," he whispered. Secretly, he was terrified for her. His forehead was thoroughly wrinkled and his eyes scared.

Suddenly, she gasped really loudly and continued doing it for a few more seconds. She had been crying for so long and so intensely that she couldn't even breathe.

"Nothing is okay, Rhydian. Nothing." She gasped out.

"Maddy, listen to me, I know you you're scared but you need to breathe. Breathe, Mads. It's okay," Rhydian managed to pull her away from him, still holding her up, and he looked in to her eyes. "Breathe." He said softly, watching as she did as she was told and took a huge breath in before letting it out. "Keep doing that."

"I need to sit down." She said, her voice merely a whisper.

Nodding, Rhydian guided her down to the floor beneath the tree and she leaned against it, her head tipped back against the bark. He sat next to her and threaded his arm around her shoulder, providing a pillow for her head; a pillow that wasn't needed when she turned her body slightly and rested her head on his chest.

She was still crying, but it was soft and silent now. Tears were just falling down swiftly every few seconds.

"I don't know who I am anymore." Maddy whispered.

Rhydian took a hold of her hand, threading their fingers together. "It's okay, Maddy. It'll pass. This happened to Jana when she lost her pack. It's the Morwal. It's hard to explain, but…it's okay. You'll be okay. It'll be gone after the full moon tonight."

She sniffed. "I'm sorry for those things I said back at school."

"S'okay," he shrugged. "Like I said, it wasn't you. But you have control of it now."

"I think I do, at least.… Thanks to you."

Rhydian smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I knew you could do it."

"How did Jana do it?"

"Huh?"

"How did she get control of the wolf?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Tom and Shannon just…did it. They calmed her down somehow. And when Ceri and I went to them the next morning, everything was fine again."

There was a moment of silence.

"So…how long have Jeffries and Liam known?" Maddy asked, her voice quiet as it cut through the silence.

"A few months now. But not long at all. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"It's okay," she said. "I can see why ya didn't. You just didn't want to scare us even more."

"I'm still sorry though. You were right, I…I should have told you. But I didn't."

Maddy nodded feebly, pressing her head further in to his chest. She put her arm over his stomach and shuffled as close to him as possible. He was warm and he smelled so familiar; it was a comfort to her. She just wanted to be near him. It seemed to make everything clearer.

Rhydian held her close and smiled weakly when she shuffled as close as she could. He kissed the top of her head and sighed to himself in relief. Complete and utter relief.

* * *

Rhydian practically carried Maddy home that afternoon.

She was exhausted – too exhausted to even go back to school – and he had to have her on his back for half the walk back to her house.

"What happened?" Emma rushed out of the front door as soon as she smelled them coming towards the house, Dan following behind her. They noticed in an instant that Maddy's scent had changed since this morning.

"I'll explain later," Rhydian continued in to the house. "For now, let's just…get Maddy to bed. She's exhausted."

Emma noticed the tear streaks on her daughter's face and her face twisted in to a frown instantly.

Rhydian carried her up the stairs and placed her gently down on to her bed. As soon as she was lying down, Emma pushed Rhydian out of the way and bent down in front of her cub.

"Maddy, pet, what happened?" She asked, frantically searching Maddy's face for any signs of injury. Thankfully, there were none.

"Rhydian will explain."

Emma turned to Rhydian. "Go on then."

"Not here. I'll explain in a minute. Let's at least take Maddy's makeup off and get her comfortable."

Rhydian went over to Maddy's dressing table to find the makeup remover, but Emma pushed him away again and gave him a look.

"I can sort my own daughter out, thank you very much. A mother always knows how to take care of her cub," she said. Maddy didn't even have the energy to protest being called a 'cub' this time. "You go wait downstairs."

"Mam, wait; I want Rhydian to stay."

"Later, Maddy."

For a moment, Rhydian looked at Maddy. She looked guilty as her mum took her hair grips out for her, and Rhydian just looked disappointed and defeated. He wanted to stay with her, but he knew there was no getting in between Maddy and her mum.

He went downstairs.

Dan followed him and put the kettle on.

"Emma's still getting used to human life again," Dan explained as he got out a couple of mugs. "In Canada, we had complete care over Maddy. But back here, we have to share her with you guys, and I think she just gets protective."

Rhydian sat down at the table and put his hands together in his lap. "I get that, I do, but doesn't she remember the times I've actually saved Maddy's life?"

"She does. She's just having some trouble adjusting; bare with her. I think it might be worse because you're Maddy's boyfriend, you know? Not just a friend."

Rhydian nodded. "Maybe I should lay off being so protective over Maddy."

"I think Maddy needs the protectiveness from ya."

"You do?"

Dan shrugged and sat down opposite Rhydian at the table, handing him a mug of tea. "She loves you. I don't think Emma realises yet just how much Maddy needs you."

Rhydian smiled slightly down at the tablecloth. He was about to say something else when Emma came down the stairs.

"How is she?" Rhydian asked as soon as she walked in.

"She's okay. Really tired," Emma sat down at the table too and took the tea that Dan handed her. "What on earth happened today, Rhydian?"

Rhydian explained everything.

He explained about Jana and what she'd been through all those months ago, and then he explained that Maddy had been through the same thing today. He tried to get the message across without revealing how close Maddy had been to totally losing control, nearly knocking him over and then collapsing to the floor. He tried to make the story a little less dramatic.

Turns out, Maddy's parents had heard of the Morwal before, but they thought it only happened to wild Wolfbloods.

But now they knew differently.

"Oh, Rhydian, if we'd have known...," Emma sighed once he'd explained everything, not finishing her sentence. "You should have called." She said softly.

"There was no time. Maddy was right on the edge and I had to save her." Rhydian's voice was light, as if what he was saying was already obvious, and he shrugged, his face innocent.

Suddenly, Emma reached over and put her hands over Rhydian's. Her face was so genuine and gentle; it was completely different to any way she'd ever looked at him.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "I don't know where she would've ended up if it wasn't for you."

He shrugged and both of Maddy's parents smiled at him.

"You'd better go up and see her." Dan smiled at Rhydian and nodded towards the stairs with his head.

* * *

"I explained everything to your parents." Rhydian murmured as he twisted some of her hair around his finger. He was lying on his back on her bed and she was lying next to him on her side, her head on his chest.

"How did they react?"

"I didn't exactly give them _all _the details…but they were pretty shocked. They thought it only happened to wild Wolfbloods."

Maddy was fiddling with the fabric of Rhydian's T-shirt in between two fingers, only half concentrating on it. "I guess not."

"You guys are semi-wild now though, I guess."

Maddy smiled slightly. "Not really. We just lived _near_ the wild for a bit."

"Same difference."

She laughed then – a small, weak laugh – and moved closer to him. "Thank you for today. I don't know what would've happened without ya."

Rhydian shrugged. "You've had to save me from losing control loads of times. I owed you one."

She shook her head. "You don't owe me anything." Her tone was suddenly more serious and she put her arm fully over his stomach. She felt his lips come down in to her hair and his arm tighten around her.

"I'm never losing you again," he murmured, "you know that, right?"

Maddy nodded. "Likewise."

And then Rhydian grinned mischievously – a grin that Maddy couldn't see until it was too late – and he reached down and started tickling her. He just wanted to see her smile.

"Rhydian! Stop it!" She cried through unintentional giggles. She hated being tickled. "Why are you tickling me!?"

"Just felt like it," Rhydian shrugged before starting again.

Maddy managed to find some strength beneath the giggles and pushed him backwards forcefully, a reluctant grin on her lips. "That's not funny." She tried to frown.

She was lying on her back now and Rhydian was hovering over her.

He fake-pouted. "Don't be grumpy," he complained, his elbows on either side of her head. "I just wanted to see your smile, is all."

"Well then all you had to do was be nice, or…or…kiss us or something. I don't know. Just…anything but tickling us!"

"Okay, okay," Rhydian chuckled, bringing his hand up and tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She stared up at him thoughtfully before reaching out and putting her hand on the back of his neck, her fingers running through the ends of his hair.

"What was that thing you suggested to make you smile?" Rhydian grinned.

"Be nice to us."

"No…the other one."

"Oh," Maddy grinned knowingly, "that."

And then she used her hand to pull his head forward and kiss him softly. She felt him smile against her lips before she kissed him again, and again, and again.

He brought his hand up and smoothed her cheekbone with his thumb as they kissed slowly. When Maddy pulled her lips away for a second, she rested her forehead on his, biting her bottom lip with her eyes still closed.

Rhydian opened his eyes to find that hers were shut. He smoothed some of her hair off her face, and that's when she opened her eyes; as soon as they made ridiculously close eye contact, they erupted in to quiet laughter.

Seeing Rhydian grinning and laughing just made her grin and laugh, because he truly was beautiful and she loved to see him smile.

"How you feeling now? After earlier?" Rhydian asked as he leaned away and lay next to her again. They didn't really fit on her bed so he rolled on to his back so that she could lie on her side again and lean on his chest.

"Kind of like I felt last night. Nothing like earlier, though…"

"I wanna say that that's good, but it's not really."

"I just…I can't believe they're _gone_. Me only family, killed off all because of some ancient grudge. How could someone do that?"

He leaned down and kissed her forehead, taking her hand that was sitting on his stomach. Once again, he didn't really know what to say to make it better, so he just settled for taking her hand and trying to comfort her that way.

Maddy didn't even realise that tears were falling down her cheeks until she began to feel a wet patch under her skin on Rhydian's shirt. He hadn't said anything about it, which Maddy thought was sweet, but she decided to push herself up and sit against the headboard of her bed. Rhydian turned on to his side.

Maddy was looking down at her hands in her lap, tears still falling. "I need a bigger bed." She chuckled wetly.

Rhydian chuckled too. "You really do."

And then Maddy looked at him without moving her head, tears sitting on the edges of her eyes.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "You saved us today."

Without saying anything, Rhydian smiled softly and took her hand, squeezing it lightly.

It said everything she needed to hear.

* * *

**A/N: **_Hi! Happy Saturday! All your reviews for the last chapter made me very happy; thank you so much for all of your support and encouragement along the way. As I've said before, I adore writing this story so much, and it's so great that you guys like it too! _

_Do let me know what you thought of this chapter in a review :) Hope you enjoyed! _

_Love :* xxx_


	10. Sad Moon Rising

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Wolfblood

* * *

**Episode Six, Part 1 - "Sad Moon Rising"**

* * *

That night, all of the Smiths discovered that full moons were no fun at all when you were grieving the loss of someone.

Maddy already knew this, of course – losing Rhydian all that time ago had made her first few full moons in Canada excruciating – but Emma and Dan had yet to learn it.

They learned it that night.

When they knew it was time, the three of them plus Rhydian made their way down in to the den, locking the door securely behind them. They stood in a circle again, holding hands supportively before each of their transformations happened, but nothing was the way it was supposed to be.

Instead of running around the den like wild wolves, chewing and howling and playing, all of them remained quiet.  
Emma and Dan moved over to one side of the Den and lay down silently, their eyes closing as if all they wanted to do was sleep for a really long time.

Rhydian watched as Maddy's dark brown figure slumped over to the very corner of the room. She lay down, curling herself in to a ball. Her golden eyes were still open and they looked sadder than Rhydian had ever seen them.

Rhydian followed her over, whimpering as he went. He hated seeing her in so much pain.  
Full moons were supposed to be the best day of the month for them. These nights weren't supposed to be filled with such sorrow and sadness; they were supposed to be a happy occasion.

Lying just behind her, Rhydian licked the fur on the back of Maddy's neck in comfort and then rested his head over her shoulder. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do.  
She seemed to lean further in to him and then her eyes closed, and the rest of the night was spent like that. Quiet, sad and tense.

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want some tea, Rhydian?" Emma asked, poking her head around the living room door.

Rhydian smiled slightly. "I'm sure. Thanks."

Emma nodded in acknowledgement and then went off to make some tea for her husband and daughter.

When she came back, the four of them sat in the living room together in complete silence, and for a moment it felt weird. The last time they had all sat together had been in Canada when nothing was wrong for them except not being at home.

But now they were back home, and everything felt like it was falling apart.

Rhydian and Maddy were on one of the small sofas, Maddy leaning her head on Rhydian's shoulder as she sat with her legs curled to her side. Emma and Dan were on the other in a similar position.

"Mam," Maddy broke the long silence, her voice quiet. "Are you two staying now? For good?"

Emma nodded slowly, taking a sip of her tea before looking at her daughter. "We have to."

"Why?" Maddy asked. "Not that I don't want you to stay, or anything…but just…why do you _have _to?"

There was an ominous pause. Maddy could hear Rhydian's heartbeat through his chest and he put his arm over her shoulders supportively.

"We have to stay, pet, because the Wildblood will be after us next," Emma started tentatively. Maddy's breath caught in her throat. "He _might_ come after us, at least, and it's not safe for the two of you to be here on your own."

"But you guys will be safer if you leave."

Dan shook his head. "He'll come for us eventually, too. There's safety in numbers."

Instinctively, Rhydian started rubbing his hand up and down Maddy's arm comfortingly. But Maddy still felt panic run through her as she sat up straight.  
She had been so devastated by the loss of her family that she hadn't even thought about the repercussions.

"What if he does come for us?" Maddy asked suddenly, her voice trembling slightly with a hint of hysteria behind it. "What do we do then? We can't run away again!"

"Hey, hey, shh," Rhydian soothed, reaching down and taking her hand tightly in his. Maddy looked at him. The fear in her eyes was indescribable. "I won't let anything happen to you." He said seriously, looking right in to her eyes.

Maddy's lip trembled and she looked over to her parents who were frowning too.

"We'll cross that bridge if and when we come to it, pet," Emma said softly, putting her mug down on the table and then moving across the room to sit next to Maddy. She put her arm around her cub and Maddy leaned her head on her shoulder. "We'll work it out."

"…I missed you guys." Maddy admitted in to the fabric of her mum's top.

Emma smiled. "We missed you too."

* * *

Rhydian went in to school the next day, but Maddy stayed at home. Because there was no more Morwal in her – or at least none of it coming to the surface – she could see the logic behind her parent's decision to keep her home. And, besides, she was exhausted anyway, so school wasn't the best-looking thing on the cards right now.

However, Rhydian still had to go in to school. He didn't really want to, but he knew he should, and he knew Maddy would be safe at home with her parents. Had this been a week ago and it was just the two of them, no way would he have gone to school and left Maddy on her own after the state she had been in yesterday.

All day, he thought about her. Every lesson he spent wondering how she was getting on; if she was still feeling exhausted and upset or if things were starting to pick up. He knew she was scared about the Wildblood coming after her (to be honest, he was worried about it too) but he was hoping that her parents would be able to keep her worries at bay.

"How's Maddy doing? Have you heard from her today?" Shannon asked as she sat down at the lunch table with Rhydian.

Rhydian shook his head. "No, not yet. But she's okay…I think."

"Good. How was the full moon last night?"

"Not great."

"I'm sorry, Rhydian," Shannon said, smiling sadly and reaching over to put her hand on top of Rhydian's. "Are _you _okay?"

Rhydian shrugged. "I'm just worried about her."

"She'll be safe with her parents. You know that."

Nodding, he looked down at his lunch and tried to convince himself that he believed Shannon.

* * *

_Maddy ran through the forest at what felt like a hundred miles an hour. She was running so fast that her legs seemed to be moving of their own accord; they were aching and her bones seemed to creak with every touch to the ground. _

_For a moment she thought she had gotten away, but then the sound of growling and snarling filled her ears, accompanied by the sound of thudding paws. Her parents had been killed ten minutes ago, but she was still running; although she wasn't sure she was ever going to get away from this Wildblood. _

_She was panting, her breath rugged as she ran through the woods, her brown hair whipping around her face in the wind. _

_And just as she turned around to check her surroundings, a huge, jet black wolf pounced at her, its teeth bared and a look in its red eyes that could only be described as evil. _

_"__Maddy!" She heard a faint voice call out in the background. The wolf was flying towards her in the air as if in slow motion and she was almost too paralysed with fear to speak. _

_"__Rhydian?" She called out, her own voice sounding much louder than the one that had called her name._

_"__Maddy, it's me! Wake up!" _

Maddy's eyes flew open and she shot around in her bed to face where the voice was coming from, her eyes wide and beads of sweat covering her forehead. She was totally out of breath.

"Maddy?" Rhydian asked, crouching down by the bed in front of her, a worried look on his face.

"Rhydian…" Maddy whispered, her voice weak and strained with tears that were now pouring out of her eyes involuntarily. The dream had felt so real; it took her a moment to focus back in to reality.

"Maddy, what's wrong? I heard your heartbeat increase and then you started breathing heavily in your sleep," Rhydian said, his voice quiet so as not to wake her parents.

"I…I had a dream…he…he was coming after us…"

Rhydian knelt down on the floor and brought his hand up to softly stroke her hair. She was sitting up on her elbow, not quite able to meet his eye.

"Who was coming after you, Mads?"

"The Wildblood," Maddy answered, her voice trembling slightly. "He's coming for us, Rhydian. He's not going to stop until he gets what he wants." Maddy hadn't even noticed that she was crying; fat, salty tears falling down her cheeks.

"Shh," Rhydian soothed, standing up and climbing on to the bed beside her when she scooted over. "It's okay. You're safe." He wrapped his arms around her, letting her bury her face in to his shoulder. He held their bodies close together.

"It felt so real…"

"I know. But I won't let anything happen to you, okay? You're safe."

Maddy nodded rapidly, but she wasn't so sure.

Rhydian lay with her for a while as Maddy stayed awake, trying her absolute hardest not to fall asleep. She was scared that she might go back in to that nightmare, or maybe even start a new one.

The dream wasn't _just _a dream, and Maddy knew that. It was expectations; just a preview of what was to come. Like Eolas but in a dream.  
She knew that tomorrow she would have to tell her parents about the nightmare.

There was a voice in her head telling her it was just a dream, that it was nothing to worry about. And with Rhydian occasionally whispering "it was just a dream" in to her ear when he realised she was still awake, she started to believe it. A little.

* * *

"Aran," Jana giggled, watching as Aran poked the kettle sceptically.

"What is this?" Aran frowned, utterly confused.

"It's a kettle. It boils water."

He turned to look at her, his eyes wide. "What? It…boils water? How!?"

"Electricity."

Aran looked slightly disgusted. "Humans make everything so easy."

"You've said that so much before."

Shuffling uncomfortably in his spot, Aran fiddled with the fabric of his top.

"And human clothes are itchy." He had borrowed one of Gerwyn's shirts; because Jana was so used to living domestically, Aran's wild scent had been overpoweringly bad for her and she'd had to get him cleaned up and changed.

"You will get used to it."

"I know."

"So…want to try some tea?"

"_Tea_? What is this…_tea_?"

"It's a hot drink humans invented. It's nice."

Aran frowned. "What is wrong with water?"

Jana giggled, hitting Aran playfully on the arm. "It tastes different to water. You're supposed to enjoy it. Now wait here, I'm going to get you a different top. This one _is _really itchy."

Aran nodded as Jana walked past him. He peeled the borrowed top off his body and left it on the worktop, confusedly looking through the different tea bags that all seemed to have different scents, his lip curled slightly in disgust.

When Jana came back a few minutes later, she laughed when she found him poking through the tea bags. He had been finding the adjustment to human life rather tricky and a little disconcerting. Occasionally she would walk in to find him pressing the buttons on the TV remote tentatively whilst perched on the arm of the sofa, his feet bare.

Or she would find him lying straight-out on his bed at night, the door wide open and the lights all off.

"Aran, you're supposed to lie under the duvet." She had said to him as she walked inside.

"The what?"

"The duvet. This thing. It's like the fur we sleep under in the wild." She touched the duvet softly with her left hand and Aran sighed through his nose.

"Oh. Of course."

Jana had smiled at him then and kissed his cheek before walking to her own bed.

"Here." She said now as they stood in the kitchen, handing him a soft cotton T-shirt.

Aran turned his attention to his Alpha, a small and grateful smile on his lips. He bowed his head once to her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Jana watched as he pulled the T-shirt over his bare chest. Then she stepped back, admiring how the T-shirt looked. Surprisingly it suited him; it made him look a little more human (she would never tell that to Aran, of course. He would be eternally offended).

"It suits you." She said, smiling.

"Thank you," Aran smiled shyly at Jana and then leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "And thank you for tolerating my inability to live like a human."

Jana giggled. "You're doing well."

"I am not very good at adjusting."

Stepping forward, Jana took his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something, the back door came flying open and Ceri walked in, her eyes wide and breathing rugged.

"Ceri?" Jana asked, panicking slightly. "What is it?" Just by the look on Ceri's face and the scent she was giving off, Jana knew something was wrong.

"I used Eolas," Ceri started. Her voice was rough and tense. "Something's wrong…something is really, really wrong…"

* * *

**A/N: **_SORRY more cliffhangers :') _

_Also, sorry I updated this later than usual. It's been quite a hard week! Hope it was worth the wait though, and that you enjoyed it. _

_As always, thank you for reviewing! Do let me know what you think of this chapter; what do you think is wrong? What did Ceri see? I think you'll be able to guess this one! I'd love to hear your thoughts :) I'm so close to 100 reviews...if I could get to 100 by next chapter, that'd be incredible! :) _

_Love :* xxx_


	11. And We Run

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything to do with Wolfblood.

* * *

**Episode Six, Part 1 - "And We Run"**

* * *

They ran, and they ran, and they ran. Maddy, Emma, Dan and Rhydian all ran through the familiar woods together, trying to keep up the same pace as each other.

The Wildblood had found their house, and he wasn't going to stop until he got what he wanted.

"He's here," Maddy had whispered half an hour ago. Maddy, Rhydian, Dan and Emma had been standing in the kitchen, and once Maddy knew the Wildblood was near, they had no time. They just had to _run_; to get out of the place that was filled with nothing but their scents.

They couldn't even leave Rhydian behind; the Wildblood would follow the scent to their houses, find him and kill him. Because his scent was slightly mixed with Maddy's now, the Wildblood wouldn't stop and think to check if Rhydian was one of them. They had to run together; like her parents had said days ago–there's safety in numbers.

They ran for what felt like an eternity, their breathing rugged and their faces burning red. Each of them could smell the Wildblood all around them; he was getting closer, circling them all like they were his next meal.

And soon they reached a crossroads in the woods, and the split second they all slowed down just slightly to decide which way to run was the split second they would regret for a really long time.

The Wildblood had found them.

A jet black wolf with glowing yellow eyes jumped out in front of them, teeth bared and snarls escaping its throat.

Maddy, Emma, Dan and Rhydian all skidded to a halt, their eyes wide and breathing heavy. All four of them stared at the Wildblood whose name they still did not know. The look in the wolf's eyes suggested that he knew he had already won.

Emma was the first to growl, and then she hunched her body slightly. Dan did the same, followed by Maddy and then Rhydian. They had to at least try to fight for their lives.  
Maddy's relatives hadn't survived the attack from this wolf, but maybe the Smiths and Rhydian could... Maybe.

Soon all four of them were in their wolf-form and that's when the battle began.

Emma, Maddy, Rhydian and Dan all circled the Wildblood, teeth bared and hearts pounding in their chests. A little voice inside Maddy's head was telling her that this was the end; that there was no way of getting out of this. He had killed a whole family of five single-handedly down south, only leaving behind the ones that he wasn't interested in, and he could easily kill the four of the wolves standing in front of him now.

They were trying to put across brave fronts, but all of them were terrified beyond belief.

The black wolf lunged towards Emma first, his mouth wide open, aiming for her shoulder. But she quickly dodged out of the way as the rest of her pack dispersed around her, the wolf falling to the floor.

This made him even angrier.

His head tilted back and he howled, threat and hatred pouring out of every second he held the howl for. It was so loud that everyone in Stoneybridge would be able to hear him from here.

Maddy cowered away briefly, but Rhydian and her parents were still standing strong, so once again she stood strong also.

And then the Wildblood looked back to Emma and Dan, snarling and growling repeatedly. Darkness practically poured out of his eyes even though they were glowing yellow.

Maddy knew that he was going to go for her parents next, and she couldn't watch that. She couldn't watch them be attacked like that; it would break her heart. She couldn't let the dream she'd had come true.  
So Maddy moved so that she was standing protectively in front of her parents, snarls escaping her own mouth now. Something in her was braver than before; like something had snapped. They didn't need protecting, but maybe Maddy standing in front of them would put him off attacking them for now, Maddy thought.

But it didn't put the Wildblood off at all.  
He didn't care who he killed first.

In the blink of an eye he was charging towards Maddy, paws thudding along the ground even harder and louder than they had before, his mouth slowly opening to its widest.

Rhydian barely even watched this happening for a second before he growled incredibly loudly. No way was the wolf going to kill Rhydian's Maddy; he just couldn't let that happen.

He charged in front of Maddy just before the Wildblood reached her, knocking Maddy away and taking the blow from the jet black wolf on himself.

The wolf's teeth went in to Rhydian's stomach, and he fell to the floor in front of Maddy as the wolf went for his neck too. Rhydian had dropped to the cold ground but managed to drag himself away from the Wildblood as he howled in satisfaction. Rhydian went over and lay limply by a tree.

Maddy growled at the Wildblood, baring her teeth. _No one _hurt her Rhydian. Not even this wolf who scared her more than Alric ever had. She took one blow at him, attempting to bite in to his neck but his fur was thick and his paws were stronger around her arm. He clawed at her arm causing her to let out a yelp of pain and fall to the ground.

Instantly her parents noticed that the Wildblood had hurt their cub and rushed over to it, snarls and growls coming out as they hit him from both sides.

Maddy, still in wolf form, dragged her limp body off the floor and ran over to Rhydian. He was still laying there – now in human form – his chest rising and falling quickly and his shirt slightly stained red.  
For a moment she forgot about the fact her parents were still fighting a wild Wolfblood with the intention of killing them. She just needed to help Rhydian.

Whimpering, she licked at the wounds through his torn shirt, on his chest, neck and arms, in an attempt to clean them. Rhydian made noises as if it hurt every time she touched him, but when she stopped he looked at her and forced out a smile. His face was paling.

Maddy transformed back and, before moving any closer, she turned to check on her parents. For a moment it looked like they were being defeated, but then Maddy heard multiple growls from behind her. Frantically, she looked around, and then she saw them.

Four familiar wolves – the most familiar being the one with bright red fur and intensely golden eyes – snarling and slowly approaching the Wildblood. Jana, Aran, Ceri and Gerwyn all passed Maddy and Rhydian, not taking their focus off of the other snarling wolf attacking Emma and Dan.  
For a moment, the Wildblood didn't notice they were there but when he did, his furred face looked shocked.

Maddy caught Jana's eye for a brief moment and let out a pained smile. Jana seemed to nod her head in acknowledgement before suddenly snapping her head away and following the rest of her pack towards where the fight was happening.

Knowing her parents were safer now, Maddy scrambled across the muddy ground to be closer to Rhydian, pulling open his shirt by the buttons so she could inspect the wounds. They were big, and deep, and bloody, and it made Maddy want to cry. Her own shirt around her arm and shoulder was starting to turn red too but it was no where near as serious as Rhydian's injuries. He was losing blood and he was losing it _fast_.

"Maddy, you...you have to run," Rhydian stammered, his voice rough as he tried to sit up through the pain of the wound to his stomach.

Maddy gently pushed him back down to the floor again. "I'm not leaving you here, Rhydian! You'll die if I run!"

"And you'll die if you stay and let him attack you!"

"I'm not letting either of us die, do you hear me!?" Tears were stinging the backs of her eyes now and it wasn't long before one escaped. The next time she spoke, her voice was strained with tears. "You should know by now that I'm never leaving to go _anywhere_ without you again. Okay?"

"Maddy...please...you need to be safe," Maddy could tell Rhydian was struggling to keep his eyes open.

All the while they were having this conversation, her parents and Jana's pack were viciously fighting the Wildblood a few metres away from Rhydian and Maddy. In the background, snarls and growls could be heard, but the couple weren't paying attention to it anymore.

"Jana and her pack are here," Maddy whispered. "We'll be fine."

"M-Maddy, he…he won't stop until he…"

Rhydian didn't finish his sentence, and Maddy didn't answer him. Instead, she brought her hand up and smoothed his hair back and away from his forehead. He hadn't had chance to put gel in that morning, so it was flat and soft, but there were now pieces of dirt and specks of blood tainting his blonde locks.

Brow furrowed and cheeks stained with salty tears, she leaned forward and left a small kiss on his forehead. His skin tasted slightly of blood (and maybe a hint of dirt) but she didn't care.

"I won't let you die," she whispered, slightly sobbing now. She couldn't lose him. Not again.

"I'm going to be fine, Mads," Rhydian whispered. "Eventually. Just...maybe not right now." His eyelids were drooping, his face paling.  
Maddy leaned forward again, her eyes wide and heart beginning to race. Even through the pain of her own injuries she could not let him slip away.

"No, Rhydian, stay with us, please," she begged.

"I'm not dying…," Rhydian managed to force out. Maddy's hands were covered in Rhydian's blood from where she'd tried to help, one of her hands still sitting near the wound to his stomach and the other on his cheek. "I promise. I'm not…leaving you…again."

And then his eyelids fell shut, his head thudding once against the ground below him.

Maddy knew he was still alive; she could hear his heartbeat still. But if the Wildblood didn't leave or get defeated soon, Rhydian's heartbeat would soon be fading.

Maddy rested her head on Rhydian's chest, her limp body lying against the cold ground. The smell of blood was giving her a headache. Tears were falling.

Maddy's ears finally tuned back in to what was going on around them, although she didn't look. A few more minutes of growling and snapping went by before she heard what sounded like her mum letting out one huge, excruciatingly loud growl before the thudding of paws.

Then the Wildblood let out a loud yelp.

And then the woods went silent.

Maddy snapped her head up quickly and spotted the six familiar wolves circling the body of the black wolf, teeth still bared but no growls anymore.

And then her mum turned to her, a look in her eyes that suggested everything was okay. Maddy's eyes came to the black wolf lying limply on the ground, and that was when she knew it was over. They were safe. They were _alive_.

Emma and Dan transformed back again before running over to their cub, frantically grabbing her hands and trying to get a look at her wounds.

"Stop it!" Maddy exclaimed, struggling to get away from them.

"We need to check your wounds—"

"LOOK AT RHYDIAN!" Maddy yelled at the top of her voice, more tears falling. How could they not even _notice_ Rhydian lying out cold on the ground beside her? Maddy only had a few cuts and bruises…but Rhydian was in a heck of a lot more serious state.

Dan's face fell when he looked over to Rhydian's almost lifeless body. His chest was still rising and falling but it was barely noticeable, and it took a few seconds for Mr and Mrs Smith to recover from the shock. Jana, Ceri, Gerwyn and Aran all appeared now by Rhydian's side, back in human form. Their faces were covered with looks of horror and shock, and although they were mildly injured too, they seemed to forget about it all when they looked at Rhydian.

"What happened?" Emma asked in a panic, trying to locate the wounds on his body.

"He got bitten in the stomach and shoulder," Maddy sobbed again, running her hands through his hair.

"We need to take him back home," Dan said, attempting to put his arms around Rhydian to pick him up.

"How?" Emma asked.

"We can all carry him," Jana suggested, taking a gentle look at Rhydian's stomach with her hand, trying not to touch him too much. Ceri nodded and Jana continued. "Right, Aran? Dan and Gerwyn? Just like you carried me when I got shot…"

Dan nodded. "Of course."

Gerwyn and Aran nodded too, and then Jana looked to Emma and Maddy, her eyebrows slightly raised.

"We'll go back to the house and get the bed ready for Rhydian. Then we'll all patch him up. Ceri, you can use some of the pack healing things, right?" Jana asked.

Ceri nodded and stood up with Jana as Aran, Gerwyn and Dan all got their arms around Rhydian as gently as they could. Ceri ran off in the direction of her house, her legs moving faster than ever before so she could reach her healing potions faster.

Without another word said, Emma and Jana rushed towards the house, but Maddy stayed by Rhydian's side, watching as the four familiar Wolfbloods gathered Rhydian in their arms.

"Maddy, go!" Dan urged.

"I can't leave him," Maddy wanted her voice to sound strong and confident, but it was down to a whisper and it was strained with tears.

"Maddy, he'll be fine. Trust me. Trust Ceri." Dan said as gently as he could manage.

Maddy stood up as the four of them did, Rhydian in their arms. "I know. But I don't want to leave him."

"Run with us then," Dan was reluctant but they all started running anyway and Maddy followed. "We have no time."

* * *

**A/N: **_First thing's first: sorry for the overdue update! _

_Second thing: I have literally never written a fight scene before, so I am really sorry if this was hard to follow or anything like that! But still, I really hope this chap was worth it and that you enjoyed! Do let me know what you think :) _

_Third, most important thing: **THIS STORY HIT 100 REVIEWS. **You guys are actually amazing, and I love you all so much, and I love hearing all your thoughts. Even to those of you who don't review, I love you all too! I can't believe you guys love this story, haha :') I literally just wrote it because I couldn't stand the idea of season 3 being the end for these characters, and also being without Maddy anymore! And clearly you guys feel the same :') _

_So yeah. That's about it. THANK YOU :) _

_Love :* xxx_

_PS. College work for me has just started again, so I may not update weekly anymore (as you can tell!), but I will definitely **not **be giving up on this story. Ever! :) _


	12. Aftermath

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

**Episode Seven, Part 1 - "Aftermath" **

* * *

When they arrived back at the house, Emma and Jana were already up in the spare room, waiting. They had spread out an old, dark sheet on the bed and Dan lay Rhydian down on it as gently as possible.

The movement seemed to stir Rhydian.

"He woke up briefly on the way here too," Dan said quietly.

Rhydian's eyes fluttered very slightly open and he started scanning the room for Maddy immediately.

"I'm here, Rhydian," she whispered from by his side, taking his hand tightly in hers.

Even though he was only half conscious and in a lot of pain, he somehow managed to force out a very weak smile when he saw her. He squeezed her hand as tight as he could.

"Hey," he said, his voice rough and husky. "You OK?"

"Hi," Maddy nodded and giggled a little because it was so like Rhydian to be starting casual conversation when his life was pretty much hanging in the balance. They stared at each other for a few minutes as everyone bustled around them, and Maddy leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

"Maddy, why don't you go downstairs and help dad make some tea while Ceri and I sort Rhydian out?" Emma suggested, her voice soft but firm.

Maddy looked up at her mum. "I want to stay."

"It'd be best if you went downstairs, pet."

Reluctantly, Maddy looked back to Rhydian and bit her lip. Rhydian smiled weakly at her again, squeezing her hand. "Go, Maddy. I'll be fine."

"I love you." Maddy said.

"I love you too."

She leaned forward one last time and pressed a kiss to his lips this time. Rhydian didn't have the strength to kiss her back properly so it was just one kiss, but one kiss that said so much. And then Maddy stood up and walked out of the room, reluctance showing in her every step.

Dan, Aran, Gerwyn and Jana followed her and Dan put the kettle on; so casually, as if someone's life wasn't in danger right in that moment.

"How can you make tea at a time like this, dad?" Maddy asked as she sat down at the table, her voice rough and rasped. Aran and Jana headed out in to the garden for some space; Jana was worried sick about Rhydian and she didn't want to make it worse for Maddy.

"Tea makes things easier, pet."

She rolled her eyes good-heartedly. "Of course it does."

And then silence fell on the kitchen; complete and utter silence. If Maddy listened carefully she could hear the movement upstairs and both her mum and Ceri's voice coming up every now and again. But it wasn't really something she wanted to hear; it just made her want to be up there with him.

She didn't know why she'd let them make her go downstairs in the first place.

* * *

An hour went by. A silent, cold, and tense hour.

Maddy spent the whole time sitting at the table, her hands together shakily on the wood and her eyes staring straight ahead. Her dad had made her a cup of tea as soon as they got downstairs, but it was still sitting on the table next to her, now cold. And a couple of times Gerwyn had tried to make conversation with Maddy, but they were both so terrified that it never worked.

When the three of them heard the sound of a door opening and then closing again upstairs, and then the sound of footsteps on the stairs, Maddy's heart started racing just a little inside her chest.

Emma and Ceri appeared at the bottom of the stairs in to the kitchen seconds later. Emma had a few spots of Rhydian's blood on her arms, Ceri's hands covered in what looked like Wolfblood remedies, and their hair was now sticking to their faces a little around the edges, but they didn't look worried or tense anymore which Maddy took as a good sign. Instead, Emma had a warm look in her eyes and they both had small smiles on their faces.

Maddy's heart leapt as she stared at her mother expectantly.

"Rhydian's fine," Emma said finally, her voice soft and steady. She was looking at Maddy. "His injuries are serious, but he's fine. His pain levels are quite high, though, and he's trying to get some sleep now. Ceri used some Wolfblood healing potions on him. His body had been put through a lot of trauma. If it wasn't for Ceri…he wouldn't be alive. I couldn't have done it without her."

Ceri smiled at Emma.

"Thank you," Maddy whispered to Ceri who turned to smile at her too. "Thank you, Ceri. And mam."

"Of course." Ceri said, smiling gently.

"Can I go up and see him?"

"Yes. But he might be asleep."

Standing up, Maddy rushed over to her mum and wrapped her in to a tight embrace, burying her head in to Emma's shoulder. "Thank you. Both of ya."

"Of course, pet. Now go up and see him. He asked for you. We'll update Jana and Aran."

A small smile graced Maddy's face as she walked up the stairs, two at a time, and rushed towards Rhydian's bedroom door.

She pushed the door open slowly and hesitantly, peeking her head around the wood to see if he was awake or not.  
His eyes were closed and his body was limp as he lay on his back. Emma had tightly bandaged all around his now-shirtless stomach and his bare arms, along with some plasters over the cuts on his pale face. There was what looked like various Wolfblood remedies spread on his skin.

When Maddy started in to the room after shutting the door behind her, Rhydian's left eye opened halfway.

"Hey," he whispered groggily.

"You're awake," Maddy responded, speeding up her pace towards his bed. She paused in front of him.

Rhydian tried to nod, but it hurt too much. "Yeah."

"How do you feel?"

"I can't really move without it really hurting," he said, his eye now closed again. His voice was somehow even rougher and raspier than it had been when they had first gotten him home, and Maddy could tell just by the way he was holding himself that he was feeling weak. "And I'm exhausted. Really, really exhausted."

Hesitantly, Maddy reached out and took his hand in hers.

"Lie with me." His voice came up in to the silence a few moments later.

"I don't want to hurt ya."

"You won't," he reassured her, his tone sincere.

Maddy brought her knee up on to the bed and then begun settling herself beside him, taking extra care not to nudge the bed too much. At one point she moved too quickly and the mattress bounced, causing Rhydian to grumble slightly in pain.

"Sorry," Maddy whispered, biting her lip.

"It's okay."

Now settled comfortably on her side and facing her injured boyfriend, she reached out and took his hand again. Despite his injuries and the fact he wasn't wearing a shirt, he was really warm. He was always so warm.  
Maddy's hands were cold and when her skin touched Rhydian's, he frowned.

"You're cold," he pointed out, opening his eyes sleepily.

"I noticed." Maddy giggled.

Rhydian grinned feebly and finally looked up at her, their eyes meeting in a perfect moment. "I would hug you to keep you warm but I can't move."

Biting her lip for a moment, Maddy looked all over his face. His skin was slightly pale but there was no dried blood there anymore; only a couple plasters here and there. She hadn't noticed before but there was also a big wound on his neck that was now covered by a huge, square plaster.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Rhydian asked, his gaze still fixed on his girlfriend.

Maddy seemed to snap back in to reality and she looked back to his face. "I'm just sorry, Rhydian."

"Why are you sorry?" He looked almost alarmed.

"Because it was our fight. That Wildblood was going for me but you took the fall for us, and now look what it caused. You're hurt."

"Hey, I'd rather it be me than you," he said sincerely, his forehead wrinkled together slightly. He wanted so badly to reach out and hold her, but he couldn't move. "I couldn't stand it if I'd just let you get hurt. Speaking of, how are your cuts and bruises? The wolf scratched your arm pretty badly…"

Maddy rolled her eyes playfully. "Who cares about my cuts and bruises? They're nothing compared to yours." She reached her hand out and gently, oh so gently, touched the skin around the cut on his neck. And then the bandage on his shoulders, and then she traced her finger all the way down his warm torso until she reached the bandage. The whole time she was touching him, he was watching her face intently, shivers rising on his bare skin. Her hand came up and she touched his neck again, tracing the outline of the plaster.

"I guess I can't kiss your neck anymore," Maddy said, and a smirk erupted on to Rhydian's face.

"Damn, I am _really _going to miss that."

"You can still kiss mine," she replied, trying to cheer him up, "well…when you can move again anyway."

Rhydian grinned, chuckling weakly.

"Jana's worried about ya," Maddy said after a few minutes of silence. "She had to go outside with Aran. I think she didn't want to make me feel worse, but I knew she was anxious."

"Mum will tell her I'm fine."

Maddy nodded. When she spoke again, her voice was tiny and she wasn't quite meeting his eyes. "She really cares about ya,"

"I know," Rhydian said. "I care about her, too."

Attempting to shuffle closer, Maddy rested her head on the pillow and tried not to move too much.

She brought her hand up again and traced light circles on the skin over his shoulders and neck with the tip of her finger. Then she started running her fingers through the short hair at the back of his neck, feeling the spiky yet soft locks slip between her small fingers.

"Mmm," Rhydian mumbled contentedly, his eyes falling shut as he tried to get himself more comfortable. The feel of her fingers in his hair and on his skin was comforting to him. "Nice."

Maddy smiled, and they slipped in to silence for a few minutes.

"Do you want me to leave you to sleep?" She asked. Her hand was back down on the bed now.

Rhydian shook his head. He winced from the pain. "No."

"Shall I stay while you sleep?"

"Yeah."

Smiling, Maddy brought her hand up once more and pushed her fingers in to his hair from the front this time, lightly playing with it. Rhydian let out a weak smile and mumbled contentedly.

"Love you, Mads." He muttered.

"Love you too."

* * *

"Rhydian," Jana sighed as she walked in to Rhydian's bedroom, flooding with relief as she saw him lying awake, his wounds bandaged. Maddy was lying on her side next to him and she sat up when Jana came in. It was an hour after Rhydian had had a nap; Maddy had spent the whole time awake, watching him and appreciating hearing him breathe beside her.

Rhydian grinned. "Jana." He said happily.

"You're okay!" Jana grinned too and walked over to the bed where Maddy was standing up.

Rhydian watched as Maddy stood up and smiled softly at him.  
"I'll go for a bit," she said.

"You sure?" Rhydian asked, frowning slightly and reaching out to hold her hand.

"Yeah, I don't mind you being here, Mads." Jana added.

"It's fine." Maddy gave Rhydian's hand a squeeze before letting it go and smiling at Jana. And then she walked out, closing the door quietly behind her.

Jana sat on the bed next to Rhydian.

"Thank you, Jana, for helping us back there," Rhydian said, looking up at her from his lying down position.

Jana shrugged. "We weren't just going to let you do that on your own, were we?" She smiled encouragingly and he smiled too.

"How did you know we needed help, though?"

"Ceri told us.…"

"How did she know?"

"Eolas," Jana shrugged again. "Aran and I were in the kitchen and she just came running in, looking all scared and worried and she told us that there was something wrong. So we ran. We knew we had to help you."

"Well, you're literally to thank for my life right now." Rhydian smiled.

Jana laughed and reached forward to take his hand, squeezing it fondly. "I'm so glad you're okay, Rhydian. I don't know what I would have done if you had…you know…"

"You don't have to think about that now. I'm okay."

Jana smiled. "And I missed you while you were in Canada. It wasn't the same without you here!"

Rhydian smiled too, and then his smile turned in to a mischievous grin.

"What?" Jana asked, frowning curiously, a slight smile still on her face.

"So…," Rhydian started expectantly, "you and Aran…"

Jana smiled more, feeling her cheeks flush with shades of red as she looked down. "What about us?"

"Why did he come back? And how did you get him to stay? Come on, I know something must have happened..." Rhydian let go of Jana's hand and poked her in the ribs playfully, a grin on his lips and now on Jana's, too.

"Nothing happened! I just…told him I wanted him to stay."

"But why did he come back in the first place, hey? For you, maybe?"

Jana gave Rhydian a look as she giggled and watched him grinning at her, still poking her in the ribs occasionally. She was blushing furiously.

Just as she took a breath to speak, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Rhydian said.

The door opened and in walked Aran, his head hanging slightly low but his eyes straight on to Jana.

"Hey, Aran," Rhydian said, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Rhydian," Aran nodded to Rhydian in acknowledgment, "good to see you well," he said, before walking to Jana. "Jana, I am going hunting. Do you want to join me?"

Jana smiled up at Aran. "Sure. Is that okay, Rhydian?"

"Fine by me," Rhydian said. He would have shrugged if it didn't cause him agonising pain.

Jana took Rhydian's hand again and gave it a squeeze before standing up. She took Aran's hand in hers and then they walked out of the room, leaving Rhydian on his own again.

But not for long, because after a few minutes Maddy came back in without knocking and closed the door behind her. She smiled at him. He smiled back.  
And then she crawled on to the bed beside him again and lay on her side, her chest pressed against his arm. They talked, and laughed, and Maddy had never felt so glad to have Rhydian beside her.

* * *

**A/N: **_I know, I know, it's been forever since I last updated! And I am really sorry. I truly am. Buuuut I did warn you guys that college has started again and that I might not be able to update as often. But I'll try not to leave it as long this time! _

_Hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews on the last one! _

_So, eventually of course this story will be drawing to a close and whilst I'm not sure how exactly to end it, I'm also not sure how soon it'll be ending. There's still quite a few more chapters left though, so don't despair! I'm debating writing a sequel, but it depends if I find an idea for it. I don't want this to end! But I also don't want to bore you by adding on pointless chapters, if you get me. It's not over yet though :)  
_

_Let me know what you thought of this chapter in a review! Love you guys :) _

_Love :* xxx_

_PS. I'm making fanvideos now! The link to my YouTube channel is in my profile if you wanna check them out :)_


	13. Visitors

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Wolfblood.

* * *

**Episode Seven, Part 2 - "Visitors"**

* * *

Tom pedaled on his bike faster than ever before, Shannon sitting behind him with her arms wrapped tightly around his waist.  
They had just received a call from Maddy telling them what had happened; she'd tried to reassure them and tell them that Rhydian was fine, but they still needed to go and see him and make sure that the rest of their pack was okay. On the way they'd stopped at a little corner shop to grab Rhydian some chocolate; they wanted to help at least a little bit, and buying Rhydian's favourite chocolate was sure to make him feel a little better.

Shannon's heart was beating fast as the pair climbed off the bike outside Maddy's house. Tom looked down at Shannon whose eyes were wide and scared, and her hands were shaking slightly.

He looked in to her eyes and offered her a sad smile, leaning down to take her right hand in his. His other hand came up and cupped her face, smoothing her cheekbone softly with his thumb.

"It's alright, Shan," he said calmly, "Rhydian's fine, remember? Maddy wouldn't have told us he was if it wasn't true."

Shannon exhaled, looking Tom in the eyes. She found it hard to maintain eye contact when she was this worried about one of her best friends, but she also didn't want to look away. Tom's brown eyes seemed to comfort her, somehow, and for a moment she felt at peace.

"I know." She nodded, and Tom smiled slightly before leaning in and leaving a kiss on her forehead. For a moment, Shannon closed her eyes and leaned in to him, but then they heard the front door of Maddy's house open.

And then out walked Maddy, clad in some black jeans and a red T-shirt, along with a big bandage wrapped around the top of her arm and a few plasters dotted on her wrist and forearm.

"Maddy, you're hurt too?" Shannon gushed, horrified, running over to check on her best friend.

Maddy nodded. "But I'm okay. Really."

For a moment Shannon looked Maddy all over. Then she sighed and brought her in for a hug, holding her tightly. So tightly that it stunned Maddy at first, but she soon reciprocated.  
Even with mere human senses, Shannon could still smell the blood on Maddy, mixed in with a faint smell of the forest.

"Mads, are you alright?" Tom asked worriedly, approaching the two girls.

Shannon let Maddy go and turned to her boyfriend, taking his hand.

Maddy nodded. "I'm fine."

"How's Rhydian?" Tom questioned. All three of them were frowning.

"He's okay," Maddy shrugged, "not great, but…okay."

"I'm so sorry, Mads," Shannon said softly, giving her best friend's non-injured arm a comforting squeeze.

Maddy went to shrug, but then she inhaled and smelled something sweet. Sniffing the air more intently this time, a small smile broke out on to her face.

"Do I smell chocolate?" She asked.

Finally, both Shannon and Tom smiled and Shannon brought out a bag of chocolate buttons and a bar of chocolate. "You do."

"Mmm…" Maddy reached out to take it but Shannon snatched it away playfully.

"Ah-ah-ah, it's for Rhydian, Mads. Sorry." Shannon grinned.

Maddy pouted and stuck her tongue out at her best friends before turning around and walking inside. Shannon and Tom followed.

When the three friends got in to the house, everyone but Rhydian, Jana and Aran was in there. Shannon looked around and saw Gerwyn, Ceri, Emma and Dan, all dotted around at different places in the room, hot drinks in their hands.

"Emma, Dan," Shannon said, a small smile appearing on her face as she ran over to hug Maddy's parents. It'd been months since Shannon had last seen them.

"Hey, Shan," Emma smiled softly. "Good to see you. And you, Tom." She leaned in and hugged Tom, and then turned to the rest of the room.

"Good to see you guys, too." Tom smiled, addressing every person in there.

"So…where's Rhydian?" Questioned Tom after a few seconds of silence.

"Upstairs," Maddy answered, heading for the stairs. "Come up, if you want."

"Are you sure?" Shannon asked warily.

Maddy nodded. "He's pretty groggy and can't really move, but I think he'll want to see ya."

When the door to the spare room opened, Rhydian opened his eyes just a crack to see Shannon and Tom walk in carefully, followed by Maddy.

Rhydian managed to let out a sleepy smile. "Hey, guys." He said, his voice croaky.

"Rhydian," Shannon sighed in relief, running towards the bed and looking him all over. His bandages had let through a little blood and his hair was flat and dirty, unlike his usual gelled-up style.

"Shan." Rhydian smiled a little wider when she leaned in and quickly kissed his cheek. And then she brought out the chocolate from her bag, and soon Rhydian's smile was showing his teeth.

"We brought you your favourite chocolate," Tom said, "to make you feel better."

"Awesome," Rhydian smiled, watching as Shannon placed it on the table beside the bed. "You guys are legends."

Shannon and Tom grinned, Shannon perching on the edge of his bed as they spoke to each other. Maddy smiled and watching from the doorway. Rhydian's eyes kept flicking to Maddy to check she was okay, and every time he checked, she was.

Tom and Shannon seemed so glad to see that Rhydian was okay, although they did both look a little alarmed when Maddy began to explain what exactly had happened.

"…And then…Rhydian jumped in front of me to save us from the wolf, and…that's when it happened. He couldn't even stay in wolf form, it was that bad." Maddy explained.

Shannon reached out and took Rhydian's limp hand in hers, her forehead wrinkled in concern. Rhydian offered her a sad smile and squeezed her hand.

Maddy continued, "and we brought him back here – he was unconscious – and then mam and Ceri somehow managed to save him."

"And now I'm in agony and can barely stay awake because of the painkillers that aren't working." Rhydian concluded, a playful but pained smirk on his lips.

Tom laughed, and Shannon giggled a little, but it was still remorseful. They talked for a while longer, and although the circumstances weren't the greatest, it was still good to have the pack together and alive.

"We'll go," Shannon offered ten minutes later, "if you want to rest. We understand. We just wanted to see that you're okay."

"I am. I'll _be _fine, at least." Rhydian replied.

His friends smiled softly, Shannon leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek one last time, and stood up in unison.

"We'll come by tomorrow." Tom said.

"If that's okay, anyway." Shannon added.

"That's fine. I'll see you guys then. Thanks for coming and, you know…bringing me chocolate."

Tom smiled and they both waved before walking out of the room, leaving Maddy standing just in front of the door.

"You alright?" Rhydian murmured sleepily, his eyes barely opening.

Maddy nodded, her arms folded over her chest as she stepped towards him. "Get some rest."

"I'm fine, Mads." He said, but he was holding back a yawn and his words were beginning to slur.

"You're not fine. You need to rest."

"I'll rest in a bit. Just lie with me for a bit, yeah?"

"I've been lying with ya all afternoon," Maddy smiled, sitting on the edge of his bed and smoothing some of his hair back with her hand. "I'm sure you'll manage without us for an hour or so."

Rhydian shook his head like a three year old, reaching up with a weak arm and attempting to touch her face. It failed. Too tired, too weak.

Maddy chuckled, taking a hold of his hand. "I'll be back up in an hour, okay?"

Sighing, Rhydian nodded reluctantly. "Fine."

"Love you," Maddy said in a sing-song tune, smiling playfully and leaning forward to kiss his forehead.

"Love you too, Mads."

* * *

**A/N: **_Hellooooo. So, my laptop was off being repaired for a week, adding an extra week on to the update time. Sorry about that! _

_This chapter is pretty short, but I guess that's the way sometimes :') Only a couple more chapters left! :( _

_Please let me know what you think in a review; your reviews always make me so happy and I love you all soooo much :) _

_Love :* xxx_


	14. Scarred

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Wolfblood._

* * *

**A/N:** _This chapter is a whole episode._

**Episode eight - "Scarred"**

* * *

Ten minutes later and Maddy was downstairs with her and Rhydian's parents. Jana and Aran hadn't yet returned from hunting; Maddy assumed that they had returned to Jana's house.

"You alright, pet?" Emma asked, smiling gently as she sat on the arm of the sofa that Maddy was sitting on. She put an arm around her daughter and squeezed her for a moment.

Maddy nodded. "I guess so."

"You know he'll be fine, don't you?"

"I know."

"It'll take him a while to heal, and he might be scarred and things like that, but he'll be fine in time."

"Scarred?" Maddy clarified, turning her head to look at her mum. "I didn't even think about that..."

"Well, it was bound to happen, love," gently, Emma pushed a piece of hair off of Maddy's face and looked at her softly, noticing the worry behind her eyes.

"I know, I just...I hadn't even thought of it. Will he be scarred forever?"

Smiling sadly, Emma nodded. "I think so. But it won't be bad, I don't think. Even though it's a dramatic wound, it was deep rather than large, so the scar will barely be noticeable."

Maddy nodded and looked away again, but she felt guilt settle in her stomach and twist uncomfortably. In a way, she felt like this was her fault. Like it was her fault Rhydian was injured; if she hadn't stood in front of her parents, Rhydian wouldn't have jumped to protect her and then ended up this wounded. If Rhydian hadn't have gotten involved with Maddy in the first place, none of this would have happened. If they hadn't returned to England, it wouldn't have happened…

"You okay?" Emma asked after a few minutes, noticing the way Maddy had become suddenly pale and her eyes were wide.

Maddy nodded all to quickly. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure—" Emma's sentence was cut off when all the wolfbloods heard a noise from upstairs.

All five of them stood up at once, listening intently. Maddy knew it was Rhydian straight away; it was his voice, and he was…screaming? Growling? None of them could make it out very well as it was all very fast, and they could hear him thrashing about in his bed.

"What's happening?" Gerwyn asked, concerned for his son.

"He's having a nightmare," Maddy realised, not looking at anyone. She could only listen for a few more moments before shaking her head and saying, "someone needs to go to him."

"You go," Ceri said as if it were instinct, looking at Maddy seriously. Maddy looked to her. "I think he's saying your name."

"What?" Maddy frowned, but before anyone could reply she'd already turned and ran up the stairs towards the bedroom.

As soon as she opened the door she saw him, face creased in pain, body thrashing slightly in the sheets and mouth letting out noises that were indescribable.

Maddy's heartbeat increased rapidly, eyes widening. And then without thinking anymore, she shut the door behind her and ran towards the bed, hastily lying next to him.

"Shhh," she soothed. She brought her arm up to his chest, careful to avoid the bandage, and gently pushed him down to the bed again. His skin was beaded with sweat; black veins crawling up his arms and neck. "Rhydian, it's okay,"

"Maddy!" He cried, still asleep. His eyes were shut and his neck was straining upwards.

"Rhydian," she brought her lips down to his ear and whispered, running her hands up and down his torso comfortingly. "Shhh, I'm here. I'm here."

Suddenly, he jolted awake, his eyes now wide open and his breathing heavy. His head snapped around to see his girlfriend.

"Maddy," he breathed, clearly relieved. Tears brimmed on his eyes. Maddy watched in horror, eyes flicking all over the place. "You're okay."

"I'm fine," she said, trying for a smile; but it came out as a frown. "What just happened?"

"I...I had a nightmare," he frowned, letting his head fall back down to the pillow.

"What was it about?"

For a moment, Rhydian ignored her question. "Mads, before I say anything, come closer."

"Why?"

"Just…please. I need you to." His voice was still pained, and he screwed his eyes shut as the pain of his wounds hit him again.

Without further questioning, Maddy shuffled forward and rested her head on the very top of his chest, almost his shoulder. She figured he needed her close so she put her hand on his chest over his heart and started tracing circles on his skin. She heard him inhale her scent, and then he spoke, sounding a little calmer now.

"Don't let go, Mads." He whispered.

"I won't."

More minutes of silence passed as heartbeats returned to normal and muscles un-tensed.

"It was just a nightmare," he said finally. "A really bad one. I think it's because I stopped smelling you, and my brain thought you were…gone."

"I'm not. I'm here."

"I know," he said, nuzzling his face in to her hair. "But it felt so real, Mads..."

Maddy wasn't sure what to say to make him feel better, but as she shuffled closer and put her head in the crook of his neck, he seemed to relax under her touch. She could hear his breathing gradually becoming slower.

"This sounds pathetic," Rhydian started hesitantly, "but I think for now I need you here when I sleep. Just for now."

Nodding, Maddy rubbed comforting circles on his arm. "That's okay."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's understandable, Rhydian."

She couldn't see him but she knew he was smiling softly. A moment later her eyes fell to the bandage wrapped around his waist and her forehead wrinkled when she remembered what her mum had said to her. _'He'll be scarred forever...' _

Feeling the painful guilt twist in her stomach once more, she screwed her eyes shut to try and take her mind off it. But it didn't work.

All it did was take her thoughts back to earlier that day; Rhydian leaping towards her in her peripheral vision, and then the black wolf biting in to his stomach. Then she thought about his limp body on the floor and how his shirt had been soaked with blood, surrounding the air with a metallic smell that had given Maddy a headache as she worried for her boyfriend's life.

It was all her fault. If it wasn't for her, Rhydian wouldn't have been injured in the first place. Now it was extremely likely that he'd be scarred forever, and although his wounds would heal and be painless soon enough, there would always be scars there to remind them of the pain that had happened. And Maddy felt entirely responsible.

Without even realising it, tears were falling out of her eyes and she looked back to the wound.

Rhydian soon felt tears on his skin and he frowned, attempting to look down at her.

"Mads?" He questioned, heartbeat increasing. He moved away from her as much as he could so he was able to see her face, and he wiped away the tears with his thumb. "What's wrong?" He was frowning intensely at her.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice half whisper, half sob. "I'm so sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Rhydian asked, alarmed.

"This is all my fault. It's my fault you're like this. You're going to be scarred forever, Rhydian, and it's all my fault."

"Hey, hey, shh," he soothed, his voice soft as he let his head fall back down to the pillow. She lay on her side next to him now and his head was turned to face her, a frown still etched on to his forehead. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault _at all_."

"But you're going to be scarred," her lip was trembling, "forever."

"We don't know that yet," he said softly, reaching out to take her hand. "We don't know anything yet. We can't freak out until we know for sure. And anyway, I'm not bothered that I'm going to be scarred. As long as _you're _safe, that's the main thing."

"But what if..."

"Everyone has scars, Mads," he watched as she shuffled closer and pressed her face in to his chest, kissing his skin. "I have one on my forehead and no one's ever questioned that, have they?"

Frowning, Maddy looked up to the scar on his forehead. "I guess not." She said quietly, and then she pushed herself up so she could leave a kiss on the scar she didn't even notice anymore. She let her lips linger there, and Rhydian closed his eyes. "Where did you get that scar from, anyway?"

His face seemed to cloud over a tiny, barely-noticeable amount. "It's a long story."

Maddy didn't have the energy to push him.

"It'll be alright, Mads," he whispered a few moments later, his breath now tickling her face. "I'm alive, you're alive, and that's all that matters, right?"

Nodding, she left a final kiss on his forehead before laying back down again with her head on his chest. "I'll be scarred on me shoulder too. We can be scarred together."

Rhydian chuckled before asking, "how is your shoulder?"

"It's alright," she shrugged. "Hurting a bit now though."

"Wish I could kiss it better."

Maddy smiled for the first time in quite a while. "Trust me, I do too."

He let out a cheeky grin and then rested his head on top of hers, feeling her cuddle closer.

"Stay for a while?" He asked a few minutes later.

Without saying anything, Maddy just nodded and closed her eyes, feeling the heat of his body warm her up. She would stay as long as he needed her to.

Maybe even longer.

* * *

A few days later, Rhydian was a little less drowsy, having been able to bring his pain medication down just a little. He could lie on his side now – his left side, as that was the least painful – which made it easier for him to sleep.

At one point in the past few days, they'd changed the bandage around his stomach, and Maddy had had to look away. For four days, he'd been stuck in bed, and Maddy never thought she'd miss seeing him walking.

Rhydian still struggled to sleep without her near, though. It wasn't as prominent as before, but the anxiety and the occasional nightmares were still there, meaning Maddy had to squish next to him in his bed. But, to be honest, she wasn't really complaining. It meant she got to be near Rhydian.

But they definitely needed a bigger bed.

But now, the Monday after their encounter with the Wildblood, Maddy woke up to a sleeping Rhydian laying beside her. In a few hours she had to return to school for the first time since the fight, and she was feeling a little anxious about leaving Rhydian by himself. Although she knew he would be fine, there was still that little bit of anxiety in the back of her mind. Her parents had let her take the rest of last week off, but now it was time to go back.

Still, she rolled over in bed after looking at the clock – 7.15am.

Her face broke out in to a soft, loving smile when she saw Rhydian.

He was still fast asleep, the side of his face pressed in to the pillow as he lay on his side. His arm was sitting on the pillow beside his head, his mouth having fallen open ever so slightly and his chest bare. He looked so peaceful, so carefree, that Maddy just had to watch him for another few moments before she got up.

He hadn't had chance to shave in a few days – since the day of the fight, in fact – so there was light stubble around his chin and jaw line. His forehead was slightly wrinkled, and if she listened to his heartbeat, she could hear that it was slow, regular and peaceful. She found herself feeling peaceful just looking at him.

Gently, Maddy reached out and brushed the stubble on his jaw with her fingers. She heard him inhale, and then he smiled lightly before pushing his face further in to the pillow.

She smiled fondly, leaning forward to softly brush her cheek with his. Bringing her hand away from his face, she traced her fingers down his bare shoulder, stopping at the top of his arm.

He shuffled slightly again, and Maddy watched the muscles in his shoulders and arms move. She smiled even more.

"Rhydian," she whispered in to his ear.

Rhydian made a noise that was half hum, half moan, and buried his face fully in to the pillow.

"Rhydian, I'm getting up now," she said, knowing he was at least half awake. "You stay in bed. I just wanted to let you know that I'm getting up, so you don't freak out when you realise I'm not here."

"No," he mumbled. As she went to get out of bed, he put his arm out and attempted to pull her back. His eyes were still closed. "Stay."

Maddy smiled, brushing his cheek with her fingers again. "Be careful," she said as he pulled her closer. "Don't hurt yourself. And I can't stay. I have to go to school."

"Hmmphhhmm," he muttered his words in to his pillow so it just came out as a blur, and Maddy chuckled lightly.

She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "I'll come say goodbye when I'm going. You stay in bed, okay?"

"What time is it?" He asked, his head finally coming out of the pillow and eyes flickering open.

"Nearly 7.20," she replied and watched as he grimaced.

Maddy felt his warm hand on her back under her top, his fingers spread out against her skin.

"I'll come up again in a bit," she whispered, kissing him on the nose this time. Then she felt his lips on her neck and cheek. "Love you," he muttered.

"Love you too." She smiled. One last time, she ran her hands through his hair and then got out of bed, feeling the cold air of the bedroom hit her immediately.

* * *

Maddy sat with Shannon at lunchtime, on the edge of the dinner hall at a table for four. Their school bags took up the empty seats and, as Shannon took a bite in to her apple, she frowned at her best friend.

"What?" Maddy asked, confused.

"Nothing," Shannon responded, and her tone was already teasing, "it's just weird not seeing you attached at the hip with your other half. Like you're missing something. Are you feeling okay?" Faking concern, she leaned over and placed her hand on Maddy's forehead, only to have it playfully pushed away again.

Maddy rolled her eyes, stabbing her pasta with a fork. "Shut up. I can be without Rhydian for a day, thank you very much."

"Mhmm," Shannon smirked. "Of course you can."

"You're ridiculous."

"And you're _crazy _about him!"

"So? I had months without him! And besides, you can't really talk. You're crazy about Tom!"

Shannon pulled her lips together and then looked down at her lap.

"Who's blushing now?" Maddy grinned, watching as Shannon grinned back at her.

"Shut up. Eat your pasta."

Still smiling, Maddy put a forkful of pasta in her mouth and shook her head playfully.

A few minutes later, Shannon took a sip of her drink. As she put it back down on the table, she took a breath to speak.

"How's Rhydian doing today?"

Maddy shrugged. "He's okay. Still finding it hard to get out of bed, but he's not as drowsy anymore."

"How's he sleeping now?"

"Still not so good," Maddy looked down at her plate, pushing a piece of soggy broccoli around. "If I'm not there, he has nightmares."

Shannon frowned. "Sounds bad."

"It is," she agreed. "But we're getting there."

Maddy spent the rest of the day trying to distract herself, and when she returned home, Rhydian was still in bed. He was awake, and not too groggy, making Maddy grin as soon as she saw him.

"You're awake," she said happily, walking in and sitting by him on the bed.

"I've been awake all day," Rhydian replied, smiling at his girlfriend. "How was school?" He reached out and took her hand, and Maddy leaned in to kiss him quickly on the lips.

"Boring. Suffocating."

Rhydian chuckled. "So pretty standard, then."

"Yep." She laughed, kissing him once more. "Okay, I'm gonna get changed. Then I'll be back. Wanna watch something on Netflix?"

Rhydian nodded, but he seemed slightly unsure. "Yeah."

Maddy frowned, stopping by the door. "What?"

"Nothing."

"What is it!?"

"_Nothing_," Rhydian said, "it's just…," he shook his head and sighed, not sure how to say it. "I've just been thinking today. About…well, I'm gonna be able to walk soon, right? And before we know it I'll be better. And…the original plan before all this happened was that we'd live here on our own. But now that your parents are here too, it just…I don't know, it just feels a bit weird. Like I'm not sure what they'd be comfortable with…"

She frowned again. "You lived with us just fine in Canada."

"Yeah, but it wasn't the same as here. Here, it's a lot more intense. We don't have to hunt, or really go outside at all if we don't want to, and I feel like I'm invading their home. Their real home. You know? Here, I could stay somewhere else. I don't have to be here.… It's just things like, if they weren't here, we'd be getting you a bigger bed for us to sleep in. But now that they're here, it just seems a bit…"

"Weird?"

Rhydian nodded. "Yeah."

"I see what you mean," she said. "Mam gets really protective. It gets so annoying. I don't know if I want to live here if they're going to be like that..."

"I didn't mean _you_ had to leave," Rhydian said. "I meant more along the lines of me living somewhere else. If that'd make things easier."

Maddy almost laughed. "Don't be stupid. I'm not being without you again. I'm used to having you around now; I don't want to live separately."

Rhydian grinned. "Same here."

"We'll talk to them about it. When you're feeling better. How's that?"

He nodded. "Sounds good."

"Cool. I'll be back in a minute, then."

"Love you."

"You too, Rhydian."

Rhydian smiled at her back as she walked away.

And when she came back, he managed to sit up a little, and Maddy managed to squish up next to him so they could watch a movie on her laptop.

* * *

**A/N: **_This is the second to last chapter. D: I don't want it to end! You guys have been amazing this whole time and I love you all so much for sticking by me and this story. It's not over yet of course! _

_On that note, I have some news. I'm thinking of making a spin-off series for this story, so like, not a sequel necessarily (although I may write one eventually). But I was planning on it being a one-shot series of the adventures Maddy and Rhydian get up to, taking place after this story has finished. So, it'll still be in the TAG world I have created, but there won't be a big intense plot line this time. Does that make sense? What do you guys think about that? Let me know, because I'm not 100% sure if I'm doing it yet, so I need feedback! :) _

_Thanks for reading and for all your lovely reviews on the last chapter! Do leave a review on this one and let me know what you think :) _

_Love :* xxx_


	15. Never Look Back

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Wolfblood._

* * *

**Episode 9 - "Never Look Back"  
**

**A/N: **_So, here it is. The last chapter! It's so bittersweet. Enjoy!  
_

* * *

Two weeks later, and Rhydian was thriving. His wounds had healed almost completely and, even though they had faced a dark moon along the way, he still managed to get up walking again just a few days prior and a few days afterwards. Yeah, the dark moon knocked him out quite a bit, but after that had gone by he had made significant progress.

It was strange for Maddy to see him struggle to stand at first – she was used to seeing him strong and steady – but after a while, Maddy got used to it and, before they knew it, his strength was rapidly building again.

Which was why, now that he could sit down properly, him and Maddy sat down with her parents at the kitchen table to discuss the house situation that Rhydian had mentioned a couple weeks ago.

"We wanted to talk to you about Rhydian," Maddy said, and Rhydian chuckled.

"I just felt like talking about myself in third person." Rhydian joked. Everyone laughed.

"Shut up," Maddy grinned over at him, and she would've nudged him playfully in the ribs if it hadn't been for the fact she was scared to hurt him. She continued, "we were wondering if you still wanted him—_us_ to stay here, now that you're back too. We didn't know what you were comfortable with...or what we're comfortable with. There are some kinks to be worked out."

"Like what?" Emma asked.

"Like…the fact that you're getting too protective and 'casting your eye' over everything we do together." She was trying to sound easygoing, but there was a hint of bitterness behind her tone.

"Mads," Rhydian said softly, reminding her to stay calm. He took a hold of her hand under the table and she took a deep breath, leaning back in her chair. "What Maddy means, is that we don't want to make you guys uncomfortable by me living here with you. In Canada it was different, and…we just wondered what the situation is going to be now, in terms of living arrangements."

"But we don't want to live separately," Maddy added hastily.

"We weren't going to try and separate you two, if that's what you mean," Dan said.

"Yeah. We're fine with you living with us, Rhydian. Just…so long as you keep your hands off, so to speak. At least here we can keep an eye on you." She winked.

Rhydian blushed, and Maddy frowned.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about," she said.

"What?" Emma questioned.

"_That_. You getting all protective and nosy and covering it up to look as though you're just joking. Rhydian and I lived on our own for two weeks before you arrived; you weren't there to chaperone us then, were you? Anything could've happened—"

"Mads." Rhydian said again, caution in his voice.

Maddy continued, "so what's changed now?"

Dan raised his eyebrows. Emma just raised one. "The difference is, we're here to see it."

"But you were there to see it in Canada, too." Maddy pointed out.

Emma looked away, almost appearing hesitant. She glanced at Dan, bit her lip, and then turned back to her daughter and Rhydian.

"It's different here," she started, her voice tentative. "You two just seem more…connected than the last time we saw you in Canada. It's like your whole bond has changed…"

"…and…that's bad…?" Maddy clarified, genuinely confused.

Dan shrugged. "Not necessarily, but it's just a difficult adjustment for the two of us."

"Yeah," Emma agreed. She let her eyes fall down, and she shrugged lightly. Maddy and Rhydian waited patiently for her to continue, and somehow they both knew that this had now become the time for everyone to be honest. "It's a strange thing, as parents, to have to come to terms with. Especially as Wolfbloods. I know I may have been a little overly protective in the weeks we've been back, even when we lived here the last time, but it's just hard for me to accept Maddy growing up, and becoming so attached to someone who isn't me or Dan. I've been trying to back off a little, but…it's really tough, Maddy."

Smiling sympathetically, Maddy reached over the table and took a hold of her mum's hand. Emma's eyes came up to meet hers, and she smiled very slightly too.

"Mam," Maddy started, "I know it's hard for ya – both of you – but you have to understand that you make it harder for us when you get protective about all of it. It makes me want to draw away from you, not come closer."

Emma exhaled through her nose. "I know. I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence before Maddy leaned back in to her chair again, letting go of her mother's hand, and then she spoke.

"So…what shall we do? Where do you want us to be?" Maddy asked.

"I'm not trying to force myself on you," Rhydian added, just to be safe.

"…But we're a package deal now."

Smiling sadly, both Emma and Dan nodded.

"We want you to stay with us," Dan said. "We don't feel ready for you to move out yet, Maddy." He chuckled.

"But if you want to, that's fine," Emma added, "we'll understand."

Maddy and Rhydian were shocked to hear this; especially coming from both of her parents. They'd been expecting a massive uproar; hence Maddy's slight frostiness at the beginning of the conversation.

But now, Emma and Dan were smiling softly at Rhydian and Maddy across the table, and it made Rhydian feel weirdly at ease for the first time in weeks.

Maddy squeezed Rhydian's hand, and then she spoke. "We need a bigger bed," she said bluntly.

"But you're sleeping in separate rooms—" Emma started, but Maddy cut her off.

"What's the point? We slept in the same bed in Canada and we did for a week after Rhydian was injured. We might as well just buy a double bed; it'll be so much more comfortable for us."

Emma stared at Maddy, her expression reluctant. She chewed her lips as her forehead wrinkled, and then she turned to Dan who just shrugged, as though he knew there was no point in protesting.

"Okay," Dan said. "Okay, we can get you a bigger bed."

Maddy grinned. "Thanks."

"_But_," Emma said hastily. Maddy and Rhydian looked over to her. "You need to try and ease us in to this. It hit us all of a sudden; when we came back, seeing you so…you know…close. It was different than in Canada."

"That's fair enough," Rhydian reasoned, "we understand that."

"We'll try." Maddy agreed, and she felt Rhydian squeeze her hand.

* * *

"Jana," Maddy started as they sat in a booth at the Kafe. Maddy, Shannon and Jana were out for coffee together one Saturday morning after Maddy's parents had left to go and visit some friends for the weekend.

"Mm?" Jana mumbled in response, her mouth full of chocolate milkshake.

"Thank you. For looking after Rhydian while I was away. And you, of course, Shan. I don't think he could've done it without you."

Both Jana and Shannon smiled across at Maddy, and she grinned in response.

"No problem," Shannon replied.

"Yeah. To tell you the truth, it was nice being back here. And thank _you _for bringing Rhydian back. It wasn't the same without you when I returned, let alone without Rhydian as well." Jana added.

Maddy smiled. "I missed it here too much to stay away."

Jana and Shannon shared a smile. "We knew you would." Shannon grinned, and all three of them laughed.

It was so nice for Maddy to feel normal again. For her to be hanging out with her best friends, knowing she was going back to an alive and well Rhydian who was waiting for her at home to spend the afternoon together. Finally, things felt like they were settling back to normal; back to the way things should be. No more life-threatening situations, no more having to leave town.

When Maddy returned home that afternoon, she had a huge smile on her face. As soon as she walked in the back door, Rhydian came running up behind her and grabbed her by the waist. It made Maddy jump slightly, and she stumbled back in to him. He was laughing, and soon Maddy was laughing, and she turned around in his arms so she could look at him.

"Hi," Maddy laughed, looking up in to his eyes.

Rhydian grinned down at her. "Hey."

"What was that big jumpy welcome for?"

He shrugged. "Just happy to see you," he said before taking her hand and leading her in to the kitchen. She sat up on the worktop and watched as he put the kettle on. "How was your coffee date with the girls?"

"Good," Maddy nodded. "How's your morning been?"

"It's been alright. Pretty dull. I drew something for you, though. It's in my sketchbook." Rhydian nodded his head in the direction of the table as he popped a teabag in to each mug.

Smiling, Maddy hopped off the worktop and headed for the black sketchbook that was sitting on the end of the kitchen table.

"What's the drawing of?" She asked curiously, flipping through the pages and briefly admiring each of his works as she went.

"Wait and see."

When Maddy finally found the most current drawing in the back of his book, she gasped very slightly and smiled to herself.

It was a drawing of the two of them as wolves, curled up together on the forest floor underneath a full moon. Rhydian was lying behind Maddy and had his face in the fur on her neck. Both of their eyes were closed, and the moon was reflecting beautifully off of their fur. The moon looked realistic; so realistic, it almost jumped off the page. It was beautiful – just how Maddy imagined them looking when sleeping as wolves – and it made her heart race in her chest. He was so talented. She loved him so much.

"I love it," she said, her voice almost a breath.

Behind her, Rhydian smiled as he added milk to the mugs of tea. "Good."

When Maddy was sure he'd finished making the drinks, she threw herself at him from behind, wrapping her arms around his waist. "It's beautiful." She said, pushing the side of her face in to his back. Rising on to her tip toes, she managed to just get her face up to his neck and she left a small kiss on the back of it.

Rhydian turned to face her, a grin on his lips. "Really?"

"Yes," Maddy whispered, flicking her eyes from his left to his right eye. He was smiling softly down at her now, and he brought his hand up to brush some hair out of her face. Then he let his hand settle on her cheek.

"I'm glad you like it," he said huskily before leaning forward and pressing a small, soft kiss on her cheek.

"I don't like it. I love it."

He smiled, kissing the very corner of her lips this time. "I love _you_."

"I love you too."

And then, at the same time, they tilted forward that tiny amount and kissed each other square on the lips. It was just a short kiss, but when they pulled back, their faces stayed right up close.

"I'm going to frame it and hang it above our new bed." Maddy said, moving her head away after a few short moments.

"I like the sound of that."

Maddy smiled. Rhydian smiled.

And then, he changed the subject. "I'm glad you had a good coffee date," Rhydian said.

"Me too. It was nice to have some girly time."

"I bet," he said.

"So, speaking of dates…," Rhydian started, a small smile on his face as he reached out to take Maddy's hands. Maddy smiled up at him curiously. "Your parents are away for the first time since the morning after our first date…"

Maddy smiled wider, realisation dawning on her face. "Yeah. They are."

"…and I was wondering if you wanted to do another date. Like the first one, but better."

"I'd love to."

"We could go out, or we could just, you know...," he shrugged, looking down to the floor for a moment, "have a movie night, and I'll make you dinner, and then…" his tone was suggestive, and Maddy smiled.

"Well, that depends."

"On what?"

"What you're cooking for me."

Rhydian grinned, pulling on her hand so she was closer and he could wrap her in his arms. She sighed, closing her eyes in to his chest, and they both held each other tighter.

"Lasagna?" Maddy said a few minutes later.

Rhydian chuckled. "What?"

"Lasagna. That's what we could have to eat."

"We could," Rhydian drawled, "but I don't know how to cook lasagna, so..."

"Oh. Well…I've got nothing. Surprise me."

Grinning, Rhydian nodded and kissed her cheek; softly, slowly. "Okay. Tomorrow night, yeah?"

Maddy shook her head. "No," she let him go and brought her hands up to cup his cheeks. Her eyes were sparkling in a way he'd only seen once before, and it made him never want to look away. "I can't wait that long."

It took Rhydian a moment to recover from the way she was suddenly close, and her thumbs were smoothing his cheek bones, and he could hear her racing heart. But when he composed himself, he smiled mischievously. "In that case, we could just get takeaway and have a date, like...right now."

Maddy grinned. "That's better."

A few hours later after their takeaway, when they were just full enough but not too full, they started to load the dishwasher with their empty plates. And then Rhydian leaned in to kiss her, and soon he'd picked her up, their lips still together, and carried her up to her room.

Neither of them looked back.

* * *

The next morning, Maddy awoke at around 4am to a peacefully sleeping Rhydian beside her. Deciding she really wasn't ready to get up or leave the comfort of Rhydian's embrace, she shuffled forward and wrapped her arm over his stomach, curling around him and smiling at the way she fit just perfectly.

She fit her head right under his neck, nuzzling her face in to his shoulder, and for a moment he awoke enough to mumble contentedly and hold her tight against him.

And the next time Maddy woke up, Rhydian wasn't beside her. There was a dip in the bed where he'd been lying. Even though no one else was in the room, Maddy self-consciously pulled the duvet even further up around her skin as she let her eyes adjust to the tinted light of her bedroom.

After a moment, Maddy rolled on to her back. And then, all of a sudden, her nostrils filled with the smell of bacon and black pudding and everything she loved in a cooked breakfast, and her face lit up. Inhaling one last time, Maddy then stood up. She wrapped her dressing gown around her body before shuffling down the stairs, her hair an absolute mess and eyes puffy. She was pretty sure there was a mark on her neck that she hoped would fade by the time her parents went home. Why did it always have to be somewhere so _obvious_?

"Morning." Maddy yawned as she stepped down the final step in to the kitchen. Rhydian was standing at the cooker with a spatula in a pan of frying bacon.

He looked up from the pan when she came in and grinned at her. "Morning gorgeous."

Softly and sleepily, Maddy smiled as she leaned against the banister. "That smells amazing." She commented.

"It's taking a lot of restraint not to eat it right now before putting it on the table," he said, still smiling. "Sleep well?"

Maddy nodded. "Great thanks. You?"

"Same here."

A warm, contended feeling settled in to Maddy's stomach right then at the sight of Rhydian cooking happily and pottering around the kitchen. He begun setting the table a few moments later, and Maddy had never felt more at home in her life.

Rhydian was wearing sweatpants and nothing else, and his hair was messy and tousled, and there may or may not have been a mark somewhere on his neck too. The scar on his stomach was still pretty obvious, and Maddy had had to be careful last night, but the scar was fading and it was soon becoming something she barely noticed.

God, Maddy loved him. It was insane, the amount of love she had for that boy. His talent, his bravery, his courage, his past, his laugh, his humour…his everything.

"I love you." Maddy said randomly and softly, her face still sleepy.

Rhydian stopped what he was doing and turned to face her. "I love you too, Mads. Now come eat some breakfast. I'm starving."

Maddy smiled.

Rhydian smiled.

Everything was how it should be.

* * *

_"__A scar does not form on the dying. A scar means you survived.__" _

* * *

**A/N: **_(Saw the above quote on Tumblr and felt it related to this story!) _

_Fair warning: this is going to be a really long speech. Feel free to ignore this, because it's going to get far too sappy and emotional for what can only be described as a Fanfiction that came purely from my tears over Maddian and the fact Maddy wasn't going to come back. Prepare for dramatic speech in 3...2...1...  
_

_Today is exactly 6 months I published the first chapter of this story. Can you believe that?_

_I never expected so many people to read this story. I never expected so many people to _**_like _**_it, let alone read it, and I can't thank you all enough for favouriting, following, reviewing, and just sticking with me as I've written this even if you didn't do any of those thing. _

_Whenever you may be reading this, whether it's years from now or on the day I publish it, THANK YOU._

_The amount of views this story has makes me so incredibly happy, and all your kind words and encouragement about this story along the way has added some sunshine in to a pretty hard time in my life, so thank you all so much for that. _

_I truly don't want this story to end! I've loved every single second of it, and I really feel like this story is my baby now (think I'm maybe in too deep?), and it's the end of an era (if I want to get _**really** _dramatic). It's been sososo much fun. _

_But I'm kind of happy at the same time because as you know, I'm going to be continuing in the Ancient Grudge world I've created in a series of one-shots and drabbles set after this chapter. There'll be no running plot line (that I know of) and it'll be pure fluff and Maddian and friendship. I'm so excited for it! _

_So, the bottom line is, thank you thank you THANK YOU. For making this story 10000x better than it would have been without all of you. Thank you to all the regular reviewers whom I could always count on; you know who you are (I was going to shout you out but didn't want to miss anyone)! Thank you to the reviewers who would pop up now and again; I love you. And just thank you to everyone reading, even if you never reviewed once; I love you guys too! You've all made me so happy and just…AH, I can't. *group hugs all around*_

_Thanks for crying over Maddian and just Wolfblood in general with me. I'm forever grateful. _

_I hope you'll all stick with me in whatever stories I write next, and I hope you enjoy anything I write in the future as much as you've enjoyed this. _

_So, there are about 80 people following this story. I appreciate not all of those people will be reading, but if you are one of those people and you've never reviewed before – please do! I'd love to hear your thoughts at the end of this story, and hopefully if every single one of those followers review (even with just a smiley face! (or a sad face if you didn't like it…)) this chapter will get more reviews than any put together! That would make me so happy, you guys. _

_Lots of love, and I'll see you all over at the new one-shot series once I get back from my 2 week break! _

_Okay, that was embarrassingly long. Sorry about that. I'm in a dramatic mood. :')_

_For the last time in TAG…_

_Love :* xxx_


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